Janet Fraser

Cherished mother and grandmother Jan Fraser, née Williams, left this world on November 8, 2021 with her beloved dog Skeeter by her side.

Janet Irene Williams was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 1, 1947, to parents Mary (née Watson) and Howard Williams. She was a precocious youngster and an exemplary student with a photographic memory. She studied music throughout her youth, starting at age 4, and played the piano beautifully. Beginning in early childhood, Jan was a great lover of animals, and her dog Peppy was one of her best friends. As a junior high student, she displayed a talent for jumping and won a long jump competition at school. She was a woodsy tomboy, who adored catching bugs and observing wild critters. She loved camping, and was a Girl Scout in her mother’s troop.

Jan went to Mills College in Oakland, California, as an out-of-state student on an academic scholarship. She came of age in the Summer of Love in Berkeley, and met the future father of her three children there. They married and had their first daughter, Melissa (Sylph), in 1968. Jan earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Tulsa, graduating with honors in 1974. She worked for IBM as a programmer and later as a technical writer, but eventually left her job to be a stay-at-home mother. The family moved to Texas where they had their second daughter, Brook, in 1981, and their son, Roger (Lark), in 1983.

Jan became a certified massage therapist and later earned a Masters in Occupational Therapy. She also worked for a time as a cartographer at MAPSCO.

Jan was a life-long learner, who was always happy to go back to school for more education. She read voraciously all her life. An excellent and prolific writer and poet, she was also prone to wordplay and puns. She had a soft heart for small, orphaned creatures, and rescued many of them in her life. With her naturally talented hands, she invariably displayed ease and aptitude at any craft she tried. She was adept at crocheting, knitting, sewing, leatherwork, and woodwork, just to name a few of her many skills. She was remarkably good at board games and jigsaw puzzles, and was known for easily completing the New York Times crossword on a regular basis. She was a frequent hiker and long-distance cyclist.

As a single woman in her early fifties, Jan met Dave Fraser, who would become her second husband. The couple moved to Utah when Dave was transferred by Lockheed Martin, and they ended up making their home in Morgan. Jan joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 30, 2020. She loved going to church, and was a visiting teacher there for many years, even before her baptism. She was very faithful in her service.

Jan is survived by her husband, Dave Fraser; her children Sylph, Brook, and Lark; and her grandchildren Forest, Sky, Jack, Arcadia, and Ever.

Jan will be remembered, above all else, for her unique sense of humor. Her childhood hero was the cartoon character, Bugs Bunny, whose theme song she quoted so often that it became something of a motto to her. She joked with her children that her tombstone should read: “She was glad to be Bugs Bunny.”

A celebration of life will be planned for a future date.