Billie Fraser

Billie Evelyn Fraser (nee MacBeth), longtime resident of Pembroke, passed peacefully on December 27, 2025, in her 90th year.

Beloved mother of Wallace (Connie) Fraser, Mary Fraser, and Nancy Fraser (Jeff Gillham). Exceedingly proud nana to Morgan Fraser, Jordan (Mariah) Fraser, Alice (Dan) Craig, Max Gillham, Emma March (Paul Wilson), and Will March. Loving great-grandma to Stella Fraser, Leah Fraser, and Clara Billie Craig.

Our mother grew up the fourth of four girls born to the late Edward MacBeth and late Alice McDonald in Callander, Ontario, where her father managed a lumber mill. She is predeceased by her sisters Jean Allan and Sandy Fairley and survived by her sister Sky Mills. Growing up a tiny girl with an inquisitive mind, Mom was a born reader. She would recall how this made her a particularly curious addition to the class, having skipped ahead a couple of grades in school.

Mom went to teacher’s college and then completed a BA (Hon) at the University of Toronto where she met our father, the late James (Jimmy) Fraser. She moved with our father to raise a family in Pembroke shortly after he graduated from law school. She began her teaching career in earnest once we were old enough to go to school ourselves, and she taught principally at Cobden Public School and Hillcrest Public School. She particularly enjoyed working with children with learning difficulties and completed her Special Education specialist at Queen’s University.

In her early years in Pembroke, our mother founded a monthly book club with a small group of friends, acting as a leader and steward for the club for more than fifty years. It was not for the faint of heart and was reserved for serious bibliophiles.

Mom enjoyed spending summers together with her family. We would move to our cottage at Lake Dore for the duration of the school summer (horses included) where we enjoyed the bonfires and beautiful sunsets surrounded by extended family.

She enjoyed being active and spent many years skiing at Dacre with a close group of lady friends or hiking and canoeing in Algonquin Park. She later continued to enjoy her affinity for nature when she bought a cottage on Stevenson Lake where she spent many summers.

When she retired, mom followed in her mother’s footsteps and began to travel the world. However, her decision to become a globetrotter was soon interrupted when she fell in love with Italy. She rented her home for a year and moved to an apartment in Castiglione Fiorentino in Tuscany, where she grew new roots. She was adopted as the “nonna canadese” by the Martinelli family who owned La Carrecia, where she would return for the months of May and September for the next 16 years. She would venture from her favoured Tuscan hills and the Val D’Orcia to Venice to listen to her favourite string ensemble. We are so grateful for the love and kindness she received from her Italian family, Filippo, his sister Lucia, his father Italo, and his late mother Consiglia.

Mom was intentional about passing along her skills and passions to her children. She delighted in Wallace’s boundless curiosity and his self-taught talent for building—and dismantling—anything he could imagine, including, famously, figuring out how to wire-tap the home phone at the age of five. Mary inherited Mom’s love and empathy for animals (she was known to understand what they were saying, even when no one else could), along with her love of music and nature. Nancy followed in Mom’s footsteps, by becoming a teacher herself, and an avid skier, hiker and reader.

Mom’s greatest joy came from her grandchildren. A steadfast supporter of their education, she watched with pride as each grandchild stepped into adult life. She delighted in Morgan’s natural design talent and immensely enjoyed Jordan’s conversation and humour and his visits with his own daughters. She shared her passion for travel and adventure with Alice, and she became an instant Toronto Rock fan when Alice met Dan. Mom took great pleasure in learning about the newest skill Max had mastered and she adorned her walls with his artistic renderings. She loved watching Emma and Will as they fiddled and step-danced and she was a constant presence (and their biggest fan) as they performed at contests and many community events.

We will remember our mother for the many visits sitting under her huge maple tree on her back deck in her home on William Street. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of soaking up the sun, watching the wildlife (particularly the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds), and eating the rhubarb that grew in her back garden—along with her daily glass of Italian red wine. She was famous for her blueberry muffins, oatmeal cookies, Christmas fruit bowl, and celebration soup.

Mom’s health sadly declined over the past year, and she had to sell her home and give up the independent lifestyle she so loved. She moved to Riverview Heights, and we are sincerely grateful for the kindness and compassionate care she received there.

We also wish to thank the many dear friends who enriched Mom’s life over the years and have remained her lifelong friends: her teaching colleagues, the members of her book club, her longtime friends with whom she shared her skiing and canoeing adventures, her travel companions from both near and far who shared her passion for Italy, and her neighbours whose care and watchfulness brought us great comfort in her later years.

Lastly, as noted, Mom was a devoted animal lover. She often recalled how her father would bring home stray dogs he found on the street. She likewise cared for her canine friends Scruffy and Griz, and her feline friends Pusspuss, Margot/Gatto, and Mordecai. She always adopted a rescue and, as an expression of sympathy, donations to her preferred charity, the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society (OSPCA), would be appreciated.

Consistent with her wishes, we will honour our mother with a small family gathering at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to Malcolm, Deavitt & Binhammer Funeral Home.