Mercedes "Mercy" Odelia Fraase's Obituary
On June 12th, Mercy passed away peacefully while in her home surrounded by a loving family. In the days leading up to her passing she received an outpouring of love from everyone who knew her. Relatives visited and called from around the world; some dropped what they were doing and drove hours to see her one last time. Friends and their children who called her, “Grandma Mercy,” made sure to talk to her. Our hearts are filled with gratitude; Mom got to hear how much she’d impacted so many people’s lives.
Born in Mott, North Dakota to Elisabeth A. and Frank X. Herner during the Depression, the family didn’t have much but had everything they needed. She was the 10th child out of 14, 10 sisters and 3 brothers. At age nine she was badly burnt in an accident while playing with 2 of her sisters and missed much of the 3rd grade. Her mother nursed her burns for months at home while she was in and out of consciousness. She struggled with the scars for many years.
In High School she got a job at the town movie theatre where Mr. Butts was her favorite boss. She would sing in the breakroom and once he thought it was the film that was showing. She absolutely loved to sing. There was always music in her life, all kinds of music. Her dad bought a building out on the highway and turned it into to drive-up burger restaurant and all the girls cooked or were carhops. After she graduated high school she went to Spokane, WA to help her sister, Betty Jones with their children, Rodney and Jeannie. She helped out in the bakery until she got on with phone company. Once again, she was called to help-out and moved back to Mott. She was able to transfer her job and stayed on with Ma Bell as an telephone operator, which is when she met her husband-to-be, Fred.
They were married on February 9th, 1959 and took off for Tacoma, WA where they made a home for themselves and their children. She was a busy mother: three meals a day on the table, always something home baked, a spotless house, a garden, nursing sick children, active in PTA and still had time to sing, dance and play. When the kids got older, she went to work for Answering Service Northwest where she was the top employee.
Her family was ever-present in her life. There were frequent get togethers. There was always a large gathering for Christmas where Mercy and her sisters would harmonize to sing beautiful Christmas Carols. Her sisters would come to the house and play cards and drink coffee. For a while, Bingo was 3 or 4 nights a week. Uncle Joe would drive the Bingo Bus as he called it.
Mercy is preceded in death by her husband, Fredrick Erik Fraase, ten sisters and two brothers. She leaves behind her children: Elizabeth L Fraase, Laurie A Beaulieu and her husband, William Beaulieu, Cindy Smith and Fredrick B Fraase. Along with four grandchildren: Candace Coleman and her husband, Douglas Coleman, Reanna Fraase, Allison Soran, and Leigh Ann Kelsey as well as two great grandchildren: Alina Blair and Elena Soran. She left only one surviving sibling, George Herner and his wife, Delores Herner. We lost count some years ago of all the wonderful nieces and nephews who she loved dearly. In our book, she is and forever will be a saint.
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