William Alexander Fraess
July 21st, 2020
William (Bill) Fraess, "That Bill Guy" passed away on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at the age of 89
Bill is lovingly remembered by his children, Elizabeth (Larry) Clark; Floyd (Linda) Fraess; Joanne Fraess; Gwen (Larry) Phillips; and Holly (Rob) McGhan; his grandchildren, Dawn (Richard), Ryan (Chizu), Chicago, Chance (Kelly), Rayn (Heather), Brandy (Erich), Jami (Jason), Oshyanna, Rikki-Lee (Dean), Teddi-Lynn (Tyler), Ashley, Jared, Kyle (Ashleigh) and his 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers, Ron (Diane) Fraess & Ray Fraess. He is predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Fraess, whom he married in 1951 and they began their family and life together. He is also predeceased by his parents, Alex & Betty; and his sisters, Bernice, Elsie and Dorothy.
Bill was a true cowboy known for being stubborn (a lot), his storytelling, his love of horses, good friends and living life his way.
Bill worked for the Saskatchewan Telephone Company until a fall from a telephone pole changed the course of his life. He did truck driving for a time but eventually found his passion in horses, and became very knowledgeable of horse care, doing horse's teeth and shoeing, as he took off in his career as a Standardbred horse driver he never looked back. His race career took him to almost all the provinces and into the US. Bill had many talents. He was the photo finish photographer at the race tracks. He trained and broke horses for many people. He volunteered with his horses at the Calgary stampede in many different aspects for numerous years. He also volunteered with his horses and wagon for parades and events at many small towns in Alberta. He was involved with Dog Trials and the Tennessee Walker Association. Bill hosted a tv show “Tack Talk" for a time where he talked about his experiences with horses which he was very knowledgeable in.
Bill had his own business as well, the Raceway Harness Shop, where he did some amazing leather work, making saddles and bridles and also doing repairs for his fellow horsemen. He was a man of many hats and he developed his own hoof care grease "Fraess Hoof Care Grease", which he was so proud of.
Bill had many friends, who he would gladly give the shirt off his back to if needed. He loved to socialize, especially if it was about horses. He was grateful to all his friends who visited him in his last years and took him out to see the wild horses he loved so much, his neighbors who helped cook, clean and assist with yard work, which allowed him to continue to live at home, which was important to Bill - these earth angels helped him to achieve this.
Bill's love was riding horses in the mountains, camping, watching the wild horses and telling stories around a campfire. May he be riding and sharing stories on this new journey, he will be missed by the many he touched here on this journey. A Memorial will be announced at a later date.Messages:
Bill was a man of many talents and friends. Condolences on his passing.
Sincere condolences to family, friends and loved ones. Bill had a gift for helping people and horses. I've met many wonderful people through Bill as he loved gathering with friends and talking...mostly about horses. Many fond memories and an honor to know him.
So sorry to hear if Bill’s passing. My sincere sympathies to his family. We have so many memories of time spent with Bill... many many years ago. I’m sure that he and my Dad will be sharing many stories together now.
So sorry to hear of Bill's passing and our condolences go out to his family. Our family will always have cherished memories of the time we spent together. Bill brought several saddle horses down to our area from the west, for us, and soon went to work for my father in the harness shop. He later moved his family to the Windsor area and became a well-known regular at the recently opened Windsor Raceway. We spent a lot of time working and riding with Bill... My father joined him on a cattle round-up in Alberta before he passed away in 2009. Bill, and his knowledge of horses, will certainly be missed by a lot of people.
Our sincere condolences. I Really enjoyed stopping by, visiting and listening to Bill's stories. Looking for wild horses with Bill and Barry was a highlight. It's really too bad that Covid19 kept us away the last while.
Condolences. Enjoyed working at the Calgary stampede with Bill in the chuck wagon photo finish area. His hoof cream is awesome and not just limited to horse applications. We use it frequently.