Ernest Ray Frazee (December 14, 1931- November 18, 2013)
Eleanor Dailey Frazee (December 17, 1934- November 20, 2013)
Ernest (Pete) and Eleanor Frazee, lifetime partners whose marriage spanned over six decades, died within two days of each other. Pete was 81; Eleanor was 78.
They departed the world as they had lived in it: “Two lives, like two vines, intertwined in life,” noted Eleanor’s sister, Chris Hardy.
Pete was born in Selsbysport, Maryland, in 1931, and Eleanor was born in Terra Alta, West Virginia in 1934. The couple married in 1951 and settled in Parsons, West Virginia where they worked, raised two daughters and resided for the rest of their lives.
Pete, the oldest son of seven siblings, left school at the age of 14 to help support his family in difficult times. He was the model of a self-made man: industrious and hard working, he started his own lumber business at 20 and worked as a timber manufacturer and master bulldozer operator.
Eleanor was a homemaker in the couple’s early years of marriage as they raised daughters Eleanor Raye and Julie Ann. She then returned to school to earn an associate’s degree in Nursing and worked as a hospital RN for many years, especially in the areas of medical/surgery and obstetrics/gynecology.
Pete and Eleanor’s union began as a seedling of young affection and grew into a great family tree of many branches, extending a wide and constant arc of love and support for their children, grandchildren, extended family, and many friends. Together, they were the tap root: solid, reliable, and nurturing to anyone in a time of crisis, however great or small.
Pete was known for his humor, his heart of gold, and his social nature, whether indulging with relish in a good-natured tease or a lively conversation. Eleanor, elegant and reserved in her demeanor, was a woman of great dignity and compassion. While Eleanor loved to travel, Pete was a contented homebody. The contrasts of their characters were the complementary strengths of their marriage, forging a balanced partnership benefitting loved ones and community alike.
Eleanor served on the Board of Trustees for the Davis Memorial Hospital and she served on the Board of Trustees for the Five Rivers Public Library, where she was named Director Emeritus. Pete was a member of The Loyal Order of the Moose and a Freemason; he served his country in the United States Army; and he was selected by West Virginia University to demonstrate the art of road building for engineering students. The couple shared a deep affection for all animals, wild and domestic.
Pete is preceded in death by his father, Oliver, and his mother, Ann; his sisters Macie May Savage, Ruth Ardel Gross, Dora Ellen Knipple, and Anna Jean Kisner. He is survived by brothers Theodore Wade Frazee of Baltimore, Maryland and William Dale Frazee of Point Marion, Pennsylvania.
Eleanor is preceded in death by her father, William Adair Dailey, and her mother, Wilma Dailey Kinnaman. She is survived by her sister, Christine Dailey Hardy of Salem, Oregon.
The couple were preceded in death by their daughter Julie Ann Felty. They are survived by their daughter Eleanor Ray Jones of Parsons, West Virginia; grandchildren Molly Adair Jones of St Petersburg, Florida and John Robert “Jack” Davis of Alexandria, Virginia.
No memorial services are planned at this time per the request of the deceased.
The family suggests donations to Best Friends Animal Society