Robert N. Frazer ’44 died on September 16, 2016, in Scarborough, Maine.
(The following was published in the Boothbay Register on September 20, 2016:)
Robert Noble “Bob” Frazer, 95, died peacefully at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough on Sept. 16, 2016.
Bob was born on March 17, 1921 in Augusta, Maine, to James Alexander Frazer Jr. and Charlotte Elise Noble Frazer. In his younger years, Bob and his extended family summered annually at their cottage at Ocean Point. Bob graduated from Cushing Academy in 1940, then attended Bowdoin College where he attained his BS in mathematics in 1945. Throughout his life, Bob had a passion for sports, baseball in particular. He played baseball, football, and hockey for Medford, Massachusetts, area schools, Cushing Academy, and Bowdoin College.
Bob greatly enjoyed working with people in the hospitality industry, and started working at the Atlantic House at Ocean Point at the age of 14. He worked at several different inns and hotels in Maine and Massachusetts, over the course of his lifetime, and often shared many memories of the people he met.
Bob served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, retiring from the reserves in 1952 with the rank of Captain. He received the Asiatic-Pacific Victory Medal WWII, as well as the American Theater MCR Ribbon. Bob testified at the Japanese War Crimes trials about his experiences in Chichi Jima; his contribution is included in the book, “Flyboys: A True Story of Courage,” by James Bradley.
Bob married Jeanne Peck in 1949. They delighted in having seven children together prior to Jeanne’s untimely death. Bob later married Priscilla “Pat” Ruth Wells in 1967, and became Dad to her four children from a previous marriage. Together they had another child. Bob was a loving father to all 12 of his children.
Together with his wife Pat, Bob owned and operated The Groton Inn in Groton, Massachusetts, from 1967 to 1976. It was the longest running Inn in America, dating back to 1673. Bob greatly enjoyed selling his antiques, and tending bar, at the Inn. When the mood struck him, he would play percussion along with the band on his particular instrument – the bottles. Bob had a gentle nature, a wonderful sense of humor, and he enjoyed sharing a good story.
In 1976, Bob relocated to East Boothbay, Maine, and over the years he held various jobs bartending and taxi driving, and later his night auditor position at Tugboat Inn, from which he retired in 2005. Bob was an active member of the Boothbay Civic Association for many years; was a collector of postage stamps, postcards, bottles, and myriad other things in which he found value and interest. All of his life, Bob had a great love for the Boston Red Sox, the state of Maine, especially the Boothbay area, and his beloved Ocean Point. During the last 10 years of his life, Bob lived with Alzheimer’s disease and was lovingly cared for by his wife Pat in their home until her death in 2014. He then moved to the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough, where he enjoyed the company of other veterans. During this time in his life, he took great joy in cheering on his favorite team, the Red Sox, and singing Frank Sinatra tunes.
Bob was predeceased by Jeanne Peck Frazer, Priscilla Ruth Frazer, son Robert Jeffrey Frazer, and great-granddaughter Rachel Elizabeth Ives.
Bob is survived by his children, Melissa Hickman of Philadelphia, Tennessee; Betsey Nessmith of Boothbay; Eric Bamberg of Stuart, Florida; Laurie Frazer of Northampton, Massachusetts; Laurie Gibson of Hollis, New Hampshire; Jim Frazer of Nashua, New Hampshire; Linda Tracy of Stone Bluff, Oklahoma; Marcia Buscemi of Greenville, New Hampshire; Cheryl Frazer-Leriche of Shirley, Massachusetts; Charlie Bamberg of East Boothbay; and Bonnie Bennett of Cheshire, Connecticut, as well as his sister, Barbara Heacock of Chandler, Arizona, formerly of Maine. He also leaves behind 23 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.