John William (Bill) Fraser
Born In: Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada
Born: August 14th, 1946
Passed in: Sydney, Canada
Passed on: January 17th, 2018
John William (Bill) Fraser, 71 of Baddeck, Nova Scotia, died January 17, 2018 in Sydney, NS of pulmonary failure. Born in Pictou on August 14, 1946, he was the son of Roy Fraser, New Glasgow, and Frances Cameron, Pictou.
Bill spent most of his childhood in Quebec, graduating from John Rennie High School, Pointe Claire, Quebec in the early 60’s. He returned to Nova Scotia as a young adult and worked for a time in New Glasgow with the accounting firm H.R. Doane & Company before moving to Wolfville where he attended Acadia University. Bill graduated from Acadia in the 70’s with bachelor degrees in Economics
(1973) and Business Administration (1974) was offered a scholarship to pursue a doctorate in economics, he chose instead to return to his business roots and moved to Halifax where his work highlights included time spent with H.R. Doane, Maritime Tel & Tel and the Port of Halifax.
Although he was single for much of his life, Bill did marry twice.
His first marriage, in the late 70’s, was brief. His second marriage, in the 80’s, moved him from Halifax to Baddeck with the purchase of what was then Lynwood Antiques. He enjoyed being part of a local family as well as being part of the Baddeck business community, and developed a deep connection to both the people and the landscape of the area. Baddeck became Bill’s home and when his marriage and ownership of Lynwood ended in the early 90’s, he chose to remain there.
During his early days in Baddeck, Bill was active with the local Chamber of Commerce and sat on the board of the Gaelic College. Using his connections with Maritime Tel & Tel, he was instrumental in setting up Baddeck’s first internet connection. In the early 90’s, he played a role in the initiative to start the Victoria Standard, the local newspaper.
He concluded his work career as a Career Counsellor and Job Developer with the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services. Based out of Baddeck and travelling throughout Victoria County, Bill drew on his business and people skills to track down jobs, create new ones and match clients to them. He understood that a stable work life was important to personal well-being and he did his best to assist his clients find this stability.
He is survived by his sister, Lorna Fraser (Surrey, B.C.); her husband, Phillip Mariani; their daughter, Francesca Mariani; numerous cousins, and many dear friends.
A memorial service for Bill will be held at Greenwood United Church in Baddeck at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 30, 2018 with Rev. Donna Lovelace officiating. Following the service a reception will be held at the Lakeside Landing room, Inverary Resort. All are invited to come and share their memories of Bill.
In recognition of Bill’s attachment to his local community, donations in his memory can be made to the Syria to Baddeck fund through Greenwood United Church, the Baddeck Library, the Gaelic College of Cape Breton, or any other local charity of your choice.
