James Henry Frazier's Obituary
James Henry Frazier died peacefully at his home on November 10, 2023, having proudly celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year. He was born on May 28, 1933, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He spent his formative years in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and moved to Memphis in 1962.
He graduated from Goldsboro High School in 1951 and earned a football scholarship to attend North Carolina State University, where he was an award-winning offensive guard for the Wolfpack. He was also a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and an ROTC lieutenant colonel. He treasured the program from a 1953 game against Army, who that year had Vince Lombardi on staff as an assistant coach and Norman Schwarzkopf on its roster. After graduating from N.C. State, he cheered on the Wolfpack over the next eight decades, attending team reunions and staying in close touch with his teammates.
After college, he served his country as an artillery officer and Army Ranger, stationed in Dormstadt, Germany, and three other bases on the front lines of the Cold War, helping the American leadership role in NATO by training German rocket battalions under the new Federal Republic of (West) Germany. For the rest of his life, whenever the national anthem was played at sporting venues and elsewhere, he stood and sang proudly—and asked those around him to do the same.
Following his discharge from the Army, he embarked on a successful business career. As a sales executive at the Formica Corporation, he won the prestigious Golden Oval Award in 1965. He turned down an offer to move to Formica headquarters in New York in the late 1960s, and joined forces with Alex Hill to establish the wholesale distributorship, "Building Plastics, Incorporated" (BPI). BPI grew from a small warehouse on Cumberland Avenue with six employees to a company today of 477 employees, 12 branches, and 13 warehouses throughout the South. BPI was his pride, passion, and his extended family. He cherished many lifelong friendships with the people he hired and mentored as business professionals. Many credit BPI's success to his competitive nature, his determination, and his ability to establish a clear plan of action, always laid out on the yellow legal pads he carried everywhere.
Jim was an enthusiastic University of Memphis supporter and decades-long season ticket holder who relished each Tiger football and basketball game with an excitement that matched that of anyone in the student section. He joined the Tigers on their flights to bowl games (football) and tournaments (basketball) around the United States. He was moved by the letters he received from athletes who like him, were able to attend college through athletic scholarships.
With his retirement from BPI in 2001, he spread his love of good times and good friends with a new family, the "Coffee Club" of the Germantown Athletic Club. He soon bore the title of "Founder and President" of the Coffee Club, which celebrated (and still does) monthly birthdays, Veterans' Days, and Memorial Days. He had many fond memories of being a member of the University of Club of Memphis and TPC Southwind. He was also a member of the Council of Advisors of St. Mary's Episcopal School and a parishioner of Calvary Episcopal Church.
Jim Frazier had a keen sense of adventure and enthusiasm for life. He marveled in the wonder of the beauty of the world around him. He was always excited to make plans for his next adventure, with family or on his own. He took great pride in his sand collection, which displayed 144 jars of samples from each of his global destinations. The collection came from all 50 states, 76 countries, and all 7 continents, including Antarctica. He was always quick to note that the sand of Destin, Florida was the most impressive of all.
Of all his accomplishments, Jim was most proud of his children, Mark and Margaret, and their families. He delighted in keeping up with his four grandchildren's accomplishments and adventures. He will be greatly missed by his family, business associates, and the countless friends he made in his 90 years. He will be remembered by his favorite quote, which he repeated often to both friends and new acquaintances, "Today is the greatest day of your life!"
He is predeceased by his parents, Thelma and Ernest Frazier. He leaves his children, Martin (Mark) Wood Frazier and his wife Karen, their children, Shelby and Thomas Frazier of Croton-on-Hudson, New York; and Margaret Frazier Gardner and her husband Hall, their children, Miriam and Frazier Gardner of Memphis, Tennessee. He also leaves a younger brother, Richard Frazier and his wife, Barbara, of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The family extends its deepest gratitude to Jim's steadfast friend, Norris Gray, who provided extraordinary professional and personal support in the last five years of Jim's life; and to Tyrone Terry, Ellen Randle, Gail Mayes, and Christina Patterson of Crossroads Hospice, and to the entire "Team Jim Frazier" for their compassion and remarkable care.
The family asks that any memorials be made to the University of Memphis Athletic Scholarship Fund, 570 Normal Street, Suite 260, Memphis, TN 38152, in Memory of Jim Frazier, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Visitation will be held on Friday, December 1 at 10:00am at Memorial Park. The service will follow at 11:00am, with burial at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at 1:00pm.
To view the service via livestream, please click on the link below:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/95117/hash:65DCDEE6425EBB40
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