Donald Ray Fraser

Donald Ray Fraser

April 9,1934 - January 10, 2025

ST. HELENA - Donald Ray Fraser, 90, of St. Helena, California, passed away peacefully on January 10, 2025, at Watermark in The Gardens Memory Care.

Don was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on April 9th, 1934, to John and Peg Fraser. At age 10, Don and his family moved to Union, Missouri, where his father established a shoe factory. By middle school, Don swept the factory floors every morning before class. In high school, Don played the tenor saxophone in the school band and in a German dance band, sang in a barbershop quartet, played basketball, and held many class offices. He attended Missouri Boys State, a high school leadership program, and was president of the Missouri Luther League, a Lutheran religious association for young people.

Don attended Northwestern University on an ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1956 with a degree in Marketing. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. After completing Marine Basic School at Quantico, Virginia, he attended flight school and became a jet fighter and attack pilot. He flew the fastest swept-wing plane at that time, the Crusader. He loved the challenging thrill of taking off and landing on the Oriskany aircraft carrier. Don flew with the Marines on active duty and in the Marine Reserves for ten years. While flying in the reserves, he earned an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Don was a successful businessman and entrepreneur who built lasting friendships with his associates. He founded two successful licensing companies that owned worldwide rights to the Peanuts characters on various products, including jewelry, toys, and sports clothing. He worked closely with Charles Schulz for over forty years. After retiring, Don co-published Security Blankets: How Peanuts Touched Our Lives, a compilation of fifty stories from people worldwide.

Don was very generous in spirit and frequently gifted Peanuts products. Once, he gave enough ties to a favorite postal worker to wear a different tie each day for a few weeks. In another example, he shared boxes of Peanuts t-shirts with migrant farm workers.

Don's leadership, commitment to service, and dedication to community started in his youth and continued throughout his life. He was the past president of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Alumni Association and the American Running and Fitness Association. He was also a board member of several local non-profit organizations, including the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Wine Library Board, St. Helena City Library, and Up-Valley Family Center in St. Helena.

Don nurtured his commitment to a spiritual community, music, and sport throughout his life. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Helena and sang in the choir for many years. He and his wife, Dianne, also sang in Craig Bond's St. Helena Chamber Choir for over twenty years. He was an excellent tennis player and, for many years, played with the Barrett/DeLucca gang. Running was his sport of choice. He was often spotted running on Madrona Avenue in St. Helena. In his late fifties, he also took up rollerblading. And at 80, he returned to flying, exhilarated by jaunts along the nearby Pacific coastline.

Don's big smile, gentle spirit, humility, and pragmatic positivity endeared him to many people locally and worldwide. He traveled extensively to Asia for business and made enduring friendships in many countries, particularly Japan. He never forgot a loved one's birthday or anniversary. He was a consummate communicator and connector of people and ideas.

Don leaves behind a family who loved him dearly, a host of kind and warmhearted friends, and many happy memories. He is survived by his wife of twenty-eight years, Dianne, his two children, Jennifer (Bret) and Craig (Heidi), and his four stepdaughters, Kristen, Aimee, Andrea, and Kara. Boppa/Uncle Don cherished being part of the lives of his ten grandchildren, William, Margaret, Hudson, Cailean, Rowan, Charlie, Kate, Noah, Nathan, and Leah, and his six nieces and seven nephews. He was preceded in death by his three siblings, Shirley, Bob, and Linda, and his first wife, Donna.

A Celebration of Don's Life will be held on March 8, 2025, at 2 p.m. (PT) at the First Presbyterian Church in St. Helena. It will also be live-streamed.

The family would like to thank Watermark and Providence Hospice Napa Valley for the excellent care Don received. Should friends so desire, contributions can be made to Providence Hospice Napa Valley, The St. Helena Choral Society or The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.