Mark Wayne Fraser Obituary 5/8/1952 – 12/2/2023
From the family of Mark Wayne Fraser
Mark Fraser passed away on February 12, 2023, after a long illness. Mark was the son of the late Waymon “Nick” Fraser and Mary “Jodi” Fraser of Rye, NY.
Mark was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California on August 5, 1952. The family moved to the New York City area shortly thereafter. Growing up in Rye, NY, Mark attended Osborn Elementary School. He went on to attend The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, MA, with which he had a deep and enduring connection. He graduated in 1971.
After receiving a BA from Hamilton College in 1975, she attended the University of Missouri Graduate School of Journalism in Colombia, MO, graduating in 1977. She began her journalism career with The Kansas City Star, where her team won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalk collapse and where he was a frequent contributor to the New York Times as a regional correspondent. Mark lived in Kansas City from 1978 to 1987. After returning to the New York City area, Mark held various editorial positions at Fairchild Publications and Reed Elsevier. It was in the latter that he developed a keen interest and traveled frequently to China.
Having been heavily influenced by previous professors, Mark’s other professional interest was education. Lui received his Masters of Education from Manhattanville College in August 2010 and taught at several schools, including Thornton Donovan School, until developing early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Throughout his life, Mark’s hobbies included playing the trumpet, writing, fly fishing and sailing. He served at Larchmont Avenue Church and pursued his love of sailing at the Larchmont Yacht Club. Family trips aboard the Lazy Bones were some of his most cherished memories. He loved his children dearly and was proud to support their education and extracurricular activities.
Mark is survived by his sister, Gail R. Fraser of Highlands Ranch, CO; his son, Nick Fraser and daughter-in-law, Tara Willinger Purasson of Montclair, NJ; and his daughter, Emily Fraser of Asheville, NC.
His family would like to thank those who cared for Mark in a variety of ways towards the end of his life including; Pam and Arthur Washington, Homayoun “Homey” Tahvildari, Newtown Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Newtown, CT, and his sister, Gail. If you would like to make a donation in Mark’s honor, he would like you to support the Rye Nature Center in Rye, NY. A celebration of Mark’s life will be held in New York this summer.
