Paul Douglas Fraser

He was the son of the late Albert Sr. and Elsie (Pearce) Fraser. Paul is survived by sons Wayne (Pauline), David (Karen), Trevor and daughter Kelly (Bob). Grandchildren Ryan, Christopher and Stephanie. Great Grandchildren Noah and Iyla.

He is survived by sister Carlotta and brother Graham (Tina) and predeceased by his wife Brenda, brother Albert Jr. (Butch), sister Patsy, infant sister Linda and special friend Claudia.

Paul’s number one priority throughout his life was providing for his family. Most of his work career was painting cars for various dealerships in Halifax/Dartmouth and after retiring, he continued to paint cars at his home shop and took great pride at keeping his yard, vehicles and property looking its best.

He very much looked forward to spending time at the camp, where family and friends would gather every weekend for food, drinks, music, laughter and lots of hard work. He fancied himself a weekend farmer while he rode his beautifully painted candy apple red tractor to family properties cutting their fields and planting gardens. While he enjoyed the great game of golf; and being multi-talented, was able to swing clubs both left or right and while he secured a hole in one, his true passion was hunting and fishing. He had the biggest smile while loading his 4-wheeler on the truck to head off on his yearly hunting trips with his closest friends and family Greg Walker, Paul d’Entremont, (brothers) Butch and Graham. Also special to him was his goose hunting trips to PEI with the Morash Brothers along with his many small game hunts shared with family members Ralph, Leonard, Trevor, Wayne, David and Kelly. Paul also loved trout fishing the many lakes in the community of Hatchet Lake. He was happy knowing that he passed along his hunting and fishing skills to his 4 kids.

Paul loved his hockey; watching it on TV, attending Moosehead games, a few NHL games, but especially playing the game himself for the Prospect Road “Old Timers” league and being well known for the most accumulated penalty minutes in any given season. In the later years, Paul simply enjoyed a good cup of hot tea, something sweet to go with it, watching and feeding the deer, ducks and other wildlife that visited him daily while listening to seaside FM playing all the good old tunes.

Cremation has taken place with a celebration of life to be held on November 28th, 2025, 2PM at JA Snows Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax, with reception to follow and interment at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Halifax Hospice, 618 Franklyn Street where Paul was provided with 9 months of excellent care prior to his short stay at Opal Ridge Hall.

Paul will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.

Paul Douglas Fraser, 1939 - 2025 - his life !

Most of his early childhood years and into his teens Paul grew up in Fairview Halifax. Paul left school at an early age as even back then “bullying” was real and unfortunately he became a victim of it. Even with a minimal education he found a way to make a good life of 86 years being creative with how he got things done. His creativity extended to his vocabulary as well. Over the years “Archie Bunker” as the kids joking called him created his own words which were simply mispro-nounciations of the original word, hence the nick name Archie ! He had the guts to try the word and smiled when he missed it !

He learned at an early age to take care of himself and learned the value of hard work. Always find-ing small odd jobs for neighbors he was able to earn money right up until he was old enough to be hired for full time work. As a young man his first full time job was a stock clerk at a small grocery store on the Old Bay Road Halifax. His next job was significant to his long term career as painter as he was employed by Cossor Ltd Dartmouth where he was employed to paint sonar buoys and other marine related equipment. There were no safety standards or equipment in those days and needless to say he ingested a lot of toxic fumes. This job gave him some spray painting experience that allowed him to secure a job with Citadel Motors on Brunswick St where he taugh himself to paint cars in their used car repair garage.He then moved to Scotia Chev Olds on Robie Street Hali-fax where he was employed for 25 years. It was here that Paul earned the reputation for being one of the best automobile painters in Halifax. ( It is interesting to note that at the peak of his career he was approached by the Nova Scotia Vocational School in Halifax to take a job teaching Automo-bile Painting however due to his lack of education Paul had to decline.) At Scotia Chev Olds Paul learned working hard on Flat Rate allowed him to make good money to support his family and have enough for other things that would come. For most of his years here once again personal safe-ty equipment was not a priority and not required meaning a lot more toxic fumes were being in-gested. The last few years of his working career he worked at Macco and Nissan and as he said, believe it or not they actually made him wear personal protective safety equipment ! Imagine that !!! After retiring Paul continued to do a few painting jobs at his home garage until he decided he was done with it once and for all and hung up his spray gun !

Starting a family at a very young age and having 4 kids by the age of 28 certainly motivated Paul to work hard and be a good provider. Starting out in those early years with wife Brenda, it was a very humble beginning. The beginning years meant living in his parents camp on he lake on Club Road. The next move was to a two room house on Club Road with an outhouse for a bathroom ! That was home with the first two boys Wayne and David until just before Trevor was born when the family moved to a one and a half story house on Hatchet Lake that Paul bought from family. While still tight quarters it was home for many years and was needed as both Trevor and Kelly came along. In 1977 the big move to a new house on the Brookside Road happened and this was ” living large” as Paul would say ! This was home to the family until eventually all the kids left the nest and Paul and Brenda eventually sold the house to move into an Apartment in the city ! While Brenda immediately took to apt living it took Paul a good year or so to settle in. As the apartment was on the ground floor it was the city deer and ducks and other birds that visited almost daily that made him feel at home. He especially liked hand feeding apples to a few deer that were his regu-lars ! While still a hunter during those years he was amazed at how much he learned of deer be-haviour by watching them so closely every day. People would stop on the street to watch the deer and the flock of ducks that he had outside his patio door just about every day !

Life in the last few years at the Apt was pretty quiet for Paul as a senior. He enjoyed time with other residents in the common room know as the “coffee club” and occasionally went out with the group and his friend Claudia to celebrate special occasions at local restaurants. Enjoying his favor-ite TV shows and music on the radio ( Seaside FM) while he sat in his recliner chair by the win-dow waving to everyone coming into the underground parking garage was a big part of his day. He especially enjoyed visits from his family and friends. Right up to the time when Paul had to leave the apt to go to Hospice he fed the ducks and deer daily and was concerned about what would happen to them when he had to leave which was very tough for him to do !

As a personality Paul could be a charismatic man and was comfortable chatting with new people he met. Being a handsome follow who never looked his age, people seemed easily attracted to him. While having a good seense of humor he was not one to tell a joke however he could get a laugh with his facial expressions and or hand expressions ( if you know what I mean ! ) Many that knew him came to appreciate his little sayins such as ” if you can’t be good. be bad” , “every-thing in moderation” and when he agreed with you he would say the word “sure” in his own way which sounded more like pronouncing it like “shoe-a” !! Of course there was a more serious side of Paul and depending on the topic he could be quite opinionated. Perhaps even very closed minded at times. You could easily read how he felt by looking at his piercing eyes accompanied by the “knot in his face” ! He did not hide how he felt very well !

In life we all have many relationships and the depth of those relationships will vary from person to person. Paul enjoyed being friends and acquaintances with many people in his life through work, sports, events etc. The relationships that he felt special to him he was very protective of. While not a person to openly verbalize how he felt to the people in his life that he truly cared for, friends or family, he did hold those relationships close in his heart and felt protective of them. His philosophy was ” they know how I feel ” ! Aside from his immediate family of kids , brothers and sisters and parents some of those special relationships to note over the years were with his nephew Leonard. the Walkers. the d’Entremonts, the Pearces, the Oickles the Morashes the Grahams and his very special friend ClaudiaWatkins

As a father Paul was many things to his children. While it is fair to say he was not a warm nutur-ing type of parent, which is something that he recognized later in life, it is appropriate to say there were several aspects of how he lived that influenced and shaped each of the kids in their own way. The nurturing parent was Brenda. Children learn from their parents from both what they tell them through their words and through their actions and behaviours. As a father Pauls teaching through words was primarily done by telling what NOT to do! On that he was very strict and clear ! Cer-tainly lots of lessons were learned about proper behaviours and discipline ! Other life teachings were left to “do as I do, no words necessary ” ! Most of which must have been pretty good as the 4 kids all grew up to be pretty good people !

Considering the very humble beginnings with minimal finances Paul did a good job to give the kids a normal childhood. While growing up the kids may not have enjoyed having a lot of new clothes, new shoes or toys , he did make sure they had what they needed even if that meant hand me downs or home made items including used bicycles he fixed up to look like new!

This was a great life lesson for the kids to understand ,value and appreciate what you have regard-less of how much something costs or if it is the most trendy top brand !

The lesson of “work hard in life ” was instilled into the the kids growing up as there were always chores or projects to do and opting out was never an option, whether at home in Hatchet Lake or up at the camp in Upper Stewiacke. Along with working hard, managing money or controlling your finances was always a high priority for Paul throught his life. Probably a self learned lesson for him as a young man with a wife and 4 kids to provide for. It was a value or trait he carried with him his entire life and certainly influenced the kids !

It was always very difficult for Paul to part with his money even to Brenda and especially the kids ! All of the kids knew how tough it was to get money out of “DAD” ! Until the kids were old enough to earn their own money Wayne, David , Trevor, and Kelly learned that getting money from their dad was more of a negotiation than a simple ask. He would ask , ” why do you want that much?” what are you using it for”, “am I getting change back ”!? If it was a significat amount you were asking for you may have to put up collateral of some sort. Just ask Kelly ! No wonder Wayne and David squabbled over who would be the one to go ask dad for the money! Perhaps the Fraser family Scottish heritage as being “tight with money” played a part in shaping how he pro-tected his money ! As a positive spin it taught him to take care of all his possessions with tremen-dous care. His house, his vehicles, his tractor and ATV always looked their best ! Another trait and value that the kids share today.

Paul was very young when he was introduced to hunting and fishing by his father Albert Sr. As he had a lot to time available this allowed him lots of oppertunity to hone his skills and deepen his passion for both that would stay with him his entire life. For Paul hunting was the path that led him to deepen his relationships in the early years with some very key people in his life including his brothers Butch and Graham, uncles Ralph and Stan and friends Paul d”entremont, and Greg Walk-er. Later in life more friendships were formed over the several Goose hunting trips to PEI and fish-ing trips with the Morash brothers Brice and Blaine. The time spent with these friends and family over the years are what made his most valued memories. Of significance to him were the years with Paul D’entremont and Greg Walker at Paul and Jeans house in Aspen where Jean graciously gave up her house for a week or more every year for the “boys” hunting trip ! The stories of the hunting trips are endless for the “boys” but as the kids grew up they too were taught to hunt and fish learning important life lessons such as an appreciation for the outdoors and what nature could provide. In the very early years wild game was an important part of food for the family. Learning the importance of safety while hunting and fishing and how this could be enjoyed together as a family, even for the girls, was a skill and value that Paul was proud to pass on to his kids.

In life we are fortunate to have just a couple of people who truly care about you and would do an-ything to help when help was needed regardless of what stage of life you are in. Paul was truly blessed with having many family and friends who cared about him at every stage of his life. That love and support from many of these folks continued with visits and phone calls as he aged and transitioned from his house to his apartment to Hospice and to his final days at Opal Ridge. Of special note were Jeff and Gail Ripley , Anne and Greg Walker , Graham and Tina Fraser. Paul and Jean D’entremont, and of course the every day support and care from the kids Wayne, David, Trevor and Kelly. The level of love , support and care that Kelly provided can only be described as extraordinary ! Thanks to everyone for the visits, the meals, the treats and most importantly your time in being a part of his life !

Paul had many intersts in life. Some of the more noteable passions with a few anecdotes are as follows:

Fishing - Trout fishing with family and friends in the lakes on Prospect Road was a true love. Many hours were spent in a boat during fishing seasons especially with his buddy Greg. On one fly fishing trip with son David on Hatchet lake in a boat he almost flipped David overboard as his flyline wrapped around Davids head in his back cast and as he pulled forward to throw his line out everything came to an abrupt stop ! As he said he was “just trying to reach the big one he saw just a little further out “! Good news ! he didn’t set the hook in Davids head that day !

The Camp in Burnside Upper Stewiacke. - Every weekend for years is where the kids spent their summers. Paul loved it there and it is where he developed great friendships with all the local Gra-ham family brothers and their families. It is where he learned to be a weekend farmer and show off his candy apple red farmall tractor ! By the way this is also where other lessons on work ethic for the kids were created ! Plowing the garden; picking rocks off the garden; planting the garden; weeding the garden; and finally harvesting the garden ! Great summer fun for the kids it was not ! Cutting the grass which was a huge lawn, splitting wood, building sheds, digging holes all of which had to be done on the hottest days of the summer was just more family fun in Pauls eyes. Again not great fun for kids but learning a great work ethic ! The only one in the family that could lay around was the dog ! Always a Beagle ! Paul loved his Beagles which he had for most of his adult life ! As Pauls brother Graham once said : This isnt a “Fun” camp it is a “Work” camp ! While there was lots of work to be done there was in fact lots of time for the fun stuff for both the kids and adults. Swimming at the falls and mill pond, fishing, bike riding kept the kids busy and of course the parties at night for all. Whether at Butches camp, Ralphs camp or Paul camp there was always lots of guitar playing, singing and laugher with family and friends. It is rumoured that the odd alcoholic beverage or two may have been consummed at these parties! As the years went by Pauls parents Albert and Elsie in their retirement ended up buying a small farm house and lived just down the road from the camp giving all the family reason to spend even more time in Burnside. A lot more memories were made there during those years. The Camps and Burnside were a very spe-cial time in Pauls life as he truly loved being there !

Playing Old Timers Hockey came to be a part of Pauls life from the age of 50 until he had to stop in his late 60s after his second open heart surgery. The Prospect Road Old Timers league was just being formed when Paul turned 50 and he got a call from the organizer about attending a meeting ! That surprised him as he told the organizer that he didn’t sign up ! Little did he know that his son David signed him up as David knew how good of a skater Paul was from all the years playing hockey on the lake with the kids growing up. So, a star on ice was born! His fame on the ice was no so much about his amazing play as it was about him becoming the most penalized player in the league ! Nothing dirty, just a lot of holding, interference, tripping ....anything to slow the faster guys down. When David became eligible to play in the same league it was inevitiable that they would play against one another. As Paul played defence and David played forward there were many father son moments that had the guys on both teams laughing. One game David made a move and slipped the puck between Pauls legs and then proceeded to score. That got Davids team mates slapping their sticks on the boards in celebration and Paul, well Paul didn’t like that so much so he skated over to David and calmly said ” that’s not going to happen again son ” which brought a smile to Davids face ! Sure dad, sure ! As fate would have it nearing the end of the game David once again had the puck with only Paul to beat again ! The move to get around Paul was pretty much the same except this time Paul had NO interest in the puck. The last thing David saw before he hit the ice on his back was the roof of the arena as Paul got his stick between his legs and flipped him in the air sending him into a perfect sommersault ! As David laid on his back on the ice and looked up Paul skated over looked down and said “Told Ya ”! It was so well executed that the guys on both teams broke out in laughter ! Paul loved being with the boys in the league playing hockey and made some good friends along the way over the years ! He was always amazed at how some guys would take it so serious and as he said ” all for just a 99 cent plastic cup” at the end of the season ! As his playing years ended he very much enjoyed watching hockey on TV, going to a few Moosehead games and was fortunate to attend a few NHL games.

Paul was blessed with good natural ability for sports. A good switch hitting ball player, great dart and pool player , a natural easy flowing golf swing and was fairly competetive at whatever sport he played. He certainly enjoyed golf and if you were not paying attention you may not have noticed that while he was a left hander he swung his driver right handed off the tee ! This amazed many people over the years ! He enjoyed golf get aways with family and friends and as that competetive side would come out he would not hesitate to talk a little “smack” to get inside your head to get you off your game. Whether it was ribbing friend Rob about playing with his “grandfathers clubs, or reminding Tim about the water up on the left or jingling the change in his pocket when anyone was about to putt, he had fun playing with your head as that gave him a chance to beat you ! And sometimes it worked !!!

Paul was actually a pretty good cook with his speciality being Rabbit pie that friends and family knew that he made every Christmas eve which meant a trip to Paul and Brendas ! It was a tradition that continued right up to 2024 with nephew Leonard Fraser suppling the rabbits the last few years when Paul was no longer able to go ! Thanks to Len for your many visits to the Apartment, Hos-pice and Opal ridge ! Keeping the memories alive of hunting and days at the camp were important to Paul