William Stewart Fraser

Bill passed unexpectedly on July 22, in his home in Edmonton. He was predeceased by his wife of more than 30 years, Deborah (Deb) Clapson. He was also predeceased by his parents, Lauchlan and Joan Fraser, as well as older brother, Barry Fraser.

He is survived by his older brother Craig Fraser, niece Kayla (Fraser) Allard and husband, Chris, nephews Robert Fraser, Keith Fraser and his wife, Kim and children, as well as Chris Fraser and his children.

Bill was the youngest of three brothers. He was born and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba. He graduated high school in 1974. He had a love of fast cars and the feel of the open road. He took courses in auto body at school which led to his early career in the trade.

While in high school he managed to create the infamous "Rainbow Pig". It was a converted Park Lane with a tri-colour scheme of yellow, red, and blue. After that car he acquired the nick name of "Cuda" from his friends when he purchased a Plymouth Valliant Barracuda.

Bill also loved his motorcycles. One day, on the way east out of Dauphin, he failed to make that long curve and ended up in a field. The result was a wrecked Kowasaki and a broken arm.

He eventually wound up in Edmonton where he met his loving wife, Deb. She had two children from a previous marriage; Mike and Travis. Bill embraced family life, becoming a hockey coach for his sons' teams.

Bill's love of sports included his Edmonton Oilers and other local teams, although he was still a Manitoban at heart. He cheered on his Manitoba teams, the Winnipeg Jets and Blue Bombers.

He finally got the job of his dreams working for Edmonton Transit in their garage. He made many friendships there before retiring.

Bill was soft spoken, but made many friends through the years and will be sorely missed. He had a love of reading and appreciation of art. He was quite an artist growing up and that most likely led to his career in Auto Body.

Bill truly missed his life partner, Deb. He never got over her passing and became a bit of a recluse. His heart finally gave out and he is now reunited with her. As per his wishes, Bill's ashes will be laid to rest in Eldon Cemetery north of Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, beside his parents and brother, later this year.

There will be no service at present, instead a small family gathering will be held when he is interred at Eldon in the fall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Bill's name to the Diabetes Research Foundation in your areas.