Ruth Carole Fraser

A life filled with joy, passion, and unwavering care for others came to a close this week. Ruth Carole (Rea) Fraser, 83, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on August 13, 2025. She was born on July 29, 1942, in Newton, Kansas, to Harold Hugh Rea and Elinor Lucile Rea.

Ruth graduated with high honors from Halstead High School in Halstead, Kansas in 1960. During her high school years she was deeply involved in various activities including band (Saxophone), Y-Teens (President), Student Council (Secretary), Pep Club (Secretary), and co-editor of the yearbook. Her active membership in the choral ensemble sparked a love of singing that endured throughout her life. She earned a BA in Spanish, Magna Cum Laude, from Kansas State University in 1964, where she was also Vice President of the Chi Omega sorority. She went to graduate school at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where she met the love of her life - Howard Fraser - and earned an MA in Spanish and a second master's degree in French. Ruth dedicated her career to education, teaching Spanish and French at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg. After her retirement, she remained actively involved in teaching through the WJCC Retired Teachers' Association, and Delta Kappa Gamma International.

Ruth was passionate about music. She sang with the choir at the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalist church, where she was one of the founding members, and the Williamsburg Choral Guild. She was an accomplished pianist, and played for herself daily - and grudgingly for others when asked nicely. She played with several recorder groups, and loved traveling to practice and perform. Inherently a teacher, she continued her passion for education after retirement by putting together lesson plans and activities as an instructor for "The Spanish Table" through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She volunteered actively and passionately, including language scholarship committees, helping English learners, and working to improve the lives of the less fortunate in the community. Beyond her professional and avocational pursuits, Ruth's main passion was her friends and family; Ruth was always busy with lunches, dinners, cookie baking, or other events with her diverse circle of local friends. She loved traveling to visit family in Kansas and Nebraska, particularly enjoying 'Old Settlers Day' in Halstead. She also loved being together with her children and granddaughter to celebrate holidays, go on domestic and international vacations, or "just hang out". She was easily recognized in a crowd through her signature affinity for all things turquoise, and love for handmade jewelry and owl motifs.

Ruth is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Howard Michael Fraser; her parents, Harold and Elinor Rea; her sister, Amy Louise Rea; and her brothers, Russell Lewis Rea and James Conrad Rea. She is survived by her children, Megan Fraser (Doug Garrett) of Ashburn, Virginia and Ben Fraser (Abby Fuoto) of Tucson, Arizona; her brother, Roger (Liz) Rea; her sister-in-law, Jean Rea, her granddaughter, Zoey Garrett; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, grand cousins, and friends who were like family.

Among her papers, Ruth had provided a sentence on what core values she wanted to be remembered for, and her response was to "Do the right thing - be fair - love one another." Ruth's joyful nature, ability to build connections, and to find "the fun" in any situation will be deeply missed and forever cherished by all who knew her.

A celebration of Ruth's life will be held at the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalist Church at 2PM on Sunday, September 14, 2025. Details for the service, which will also be streamed on Zoom, are available at wuu.org/event-calendar. In remembrance of Ruth, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), or to FISH of Williamsburg.