Willie Lee Fraley

Willie Lee “Bill” Fraley, 78, of Holbrook, Arizona, passed away July 30, 2023, in Chandler, Arizona.

Bill was born in Hatfield, Kentucky on February 27, 1945, to George Irvin and Myrtle Jackson Fraley. He was one of 13 children. Bill graduated from Kyger Creek High School in Cheshire, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1970. While stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado, Bill met the love of his life, Darlene Kay Potts, whom he married three months later in January 1967. They welcomed their two daughters, Lynda and Teri, early in their marriage, and after Bill left the Army, they settled in North Madison, Ohio, where they lived several years on the shores of Lake Erie. In 1978, they moved to Arizona, where Bill worked for the Navajo County Planning and Zoning Department, starting out as a zoning inspector and rising to director. He left the county in the mid-80s and spent more than 20 years in marketing for private engineering firms around the state. In 2005, Bill and Darlene moved to Holbrook, Arizona, and he returned to work at Navajo County, from which he retired in 2013.

Bill derived his greatest enjoyment from his family, music and work. He was a devoted brother, husband, father, grandfather, and was soon to be a great-grandfather. He was a prolific songwriter who cherished collaborating with friends, regional bands and his grandson on his music. Bill was a good-hearted jokester, an encouraging mentor and a lifelong L.A. Dodgers fan. If Bill loved you, you knew it. All who knew him knew of his deep commitment to his family, and those who knew him best treasured his quietly expressed faith in God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bill is survived by his wife of 56 years, Darlene; daughters, Lynda Young and Teri (Mike) Walker, and the son he chose, Jay Simper; grandchildren Adam Steilen, Tanner Walker, Macy Walker, Karlie (Carson) Ballard and Ellie Cazee; brothers Thomas (Liz), George Hay and Richard (Carol) Fraley; sisters Anna (George) Deskins, Doris Fraley, Katherine (Larry) Hull and Lorraine (Ronnie) Bennett; and many beloved brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Billy Harrel, Irvin (Betty), Eugene and Curtis (Joann) Fraley, and his sister, Norma Sue (Estil) Nichols.

Bill passed gently after a lengthy illness, surrounded by family at his bedside and present in spirit. Funeral services were held Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at the Holbrook Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Holbrook, Arizona. He is interred at the Woodruff Cemetery, in Woodruff, Arizona.