William Alexander Fraess

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.