Fremont Frazee

Fremont Frazee of Fergus Falls, age 98, passed away on July 28, 2016, at PioneerCare. He was born on November 1, 1917 to Harry and Susie Frazee in Pelican Rapids, MN.

Fremont was a no-frills, independent-minded man. He lived his life on his terms, with his family and faith at the forefront. If his life was made into a movie, the song “My Way”, sung by Frank Sinatra, would be the theme song.

His parents and grandparents were involved in flour milling, lumber milling, and banking in northern Minnesota. Fremont began his work life at the age of 12, necessitated by the losses his family endured as a result of the Great Depression. He was a news boy for the Minneapolis Tribune. He continued in this role until he graduated from Pelican High School in 1935. After graduating, he moved to Thief River where he supervised delivery of the Tribune for northern Minnesota. He developed close relationships with the newsboys he supervised and remained in contact with some of them his entire life. He joined the US Army when World War II began. He served as an operating room technician/medic in northern France and England. Many stories were told of his experiences in the war and he remained in contact with several friends that he met during the war throughout his life.

When he returned from his service in World War II, he began his career as a wholesale produce dealer. He delivered locally grown produce (a novel idea at the time), mostly potatoes, to area stores, restaurants, schools, and nursing homes. He continued in this job until larger companies took over that market. The most important event that occurred when he returned from World War II was meeting Pauline Ekeberg in 1948 in Pelican Rapids. After several years of courtship, they married in 1953 in Ft. Collins, CO. This was followed by a six-week honeymoon along the West Coast. They began their married lives in Pelican Rapids and at Fish Lake. They later moved to Fergus Falls, where they have lived for over 50 years. They had three children: Paula, Linda, and Jana. He was very proud of his children and later, his 3 grandchildren, Luke, Ryan, and Laura, children of Paula and Dan. There was nothing more important to him than attending their events and supporting their endeavors. Linda, their Down Syndrome daughter, held a very special place in his heart. She passed away in December of 2015 and was missed terribly.

Fremont enjoyed travel with his family, especially visiting extended family across the country. He insisted on family pictures to commemorate those events and every other family event, much to the dismay, at times, of those involved. He also loved tape recording/interviewing family
members, friends, and sometimes even tour guides at places the family visited. He was always curious and enjoyed learning as much as he could about where we were.

One of his favorite places to be was Fish Lake, north of Pelican Rapids. He purchased the land where their cabin still stands in the 1940s. It has been the go-to gathering place for family and extended family from the beginning. One of his favorite memories was of their young grandchildren running to greet them when they got to the lake. It continues to be a gathering place for family to this day.

Another one of Fremont’s loves was big band Jazz! He saw almost every well-known jazz band from his era, with the exclusion of Glenn Miller, which he still regretted into his 90s! He even went to see LouieArmstrong in Fargo the week after his first daughter was born, leaving his wife and daughter behind. You can see why their marriage lasted 63 years ~ his wife, Pauline, understood the importance of his passion! When he was in basic training and/or leave in the Army, he would often visit New York and, and as a soldier in uniform, was given the royal treatment when attending jazz events. He never had any qualms about starting up a conversation with anyone, and would simply walk up to the bands and visit with the band members during their breaks. Another favorite memory of his was when he was assigned to be an army escort for Jimmy Durante when he was performing in a club in New York City.

Fremont was a voracious reader, especially non-fiction. If he finished a book he was reading, an encyclopedia was just as fun until he got his next book! He had a terrific memory for facts, dates, and people that amazed many, even until his last day when he recalled the family members of his Hospice nurse who grew up in Pelican Rapids over 60 years ago.

He will be terribly missed by his family and those that knew him. As Clarence said in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “A man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?” There is/will be a definite hole in many of our lives. But, quoting from “It’s a Wonderful Life” again, “All you can take with you is that which you've given away... that things of true worth are not measured in dollars, but in the currency of friendship and family, and the good karma one puts out into the world.” He gave so many so much, most of which did not cost a dime or give him any recognition. He has now received his reward. May he rest in peace.

Fremont is survived by his wife, Pauline Frazee of Fergus Falls; daughters, Paula (Dan Sperling) Frazee-Sperling and Jana Frazee, all of Fargo, ND; and grandchildren, Luke (Megan) Sperling of Omaha, NB, Ryan Sperling and Laura Sperling, both of Fargo, ND.

Visitation: 10:00-11:00 AM on Friday, August 5, 2016, at Augustana Lutheran Church
Service: 11:00 AM on Friday, August 5, 2016, at Augustana Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls
Clergy: Reverend Ben Durbin
Interment: Lakeview Cemetery in Pelican Rapids, MN
Military Participation: Fergus Falls American Legion Post #30 and VFW Post # 612
Funeral Home: Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls, MN