John FRAZEE

FRAZEE, John D.
January 8, 1926 - March 5, 2012
Loved life, lived large, long and full. Born in Vancouver, the youngest of five, to Jamesie and Wes. He spent the first 9 years of his life in Montreal and moved back to Vancouver in 1935. Serendipity brought him to the Cunningham Ranch at 74 Mile where he spent his summers until he was 16. A formative experience; John decided ranching would be his life. The early years in Montreal gave him a head start in skiing and hockey. Skiing won out. A cabin on Hollyburn built by John and half a dozen friends in grade 8 and 9 allowed him to begin his ski-racing career winning the Hollyburn Peak to First Lake race, the first of many trophies. Schools were, Prince of Wales; Student Council President in grade 12, then UBC; A Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. At UBC, coach Peter Vajda gathered a group of reasonable skiers and molded them into a team that became tops in the Northwest. Peter became more than a coach; a mentor. He met Joyce Lumb in 1954 and they were married within the year. Four children followed: Pam, Jane, David and Justine. By this time the ranching dream had been replaced with a career at Finning. The family moved to Boston for a year in '63 while John earned his Masters at M.I.T., met Vin Sood, and was introduced to " T groups". He returned to BC eventually becoming President of the company. As President, shareholders enjoyed a doubling of their holdings every two years. It wasn't all work. John was an early pioneer of water-skiing, scuba diving, hang gliding. He also raced Star and 6 metre sailboats. Winters were the mountains; summers the ocean. Family winter camping atop the Ridge Run to get 'First Tracks' before anyone knew what that meant. Weekends at Whistler, helicopter, cat, tree skiing and touring rounded out his love of of the sport; a passion that lasted until the 6th year of his 9th decade. Family summer boat camping on the west coast, gunkholing the inland waterways in small power boats, and sailing on board Alkaid to Alaska and the Queen Charlottes. John was the archetypal west coast bon vivant. Jane was the first to have grandchildren (2) with Pam following (3) then Justine (2) and finally David (3). John said his kids' choice of spouses was remarkable; John, Ritchie, Cher, and Kevin were loved and admired. He was proud of his legacy. Joyce died in 2002 and in his 70s he fell in love again with Claire Broderick. They lived together for a time and remained close until the end. He developed Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis which affected his body but not his spirited mind. The superlative Dr. Michael Davidson buoyed John through choppy waters with wisdom, humour and compassion. John had a big voice, a big presence, was larger than life. He had a keen probing mind, was audacious, and loved to shock and shake up the staid and predictable. He let us know that he truly loved us and leaves us to ponder the advantages of being aware and true to ourselves. A memorial will be held at Larson Station, Gleneagles Golf Course, in West Vancouver at 4 o'clock on April 1st, 2012.