Kathy Fraser

Wanda Kathryn Fraser departed this life in the evening of April 3, 2025, of complications from a lengthy illness.

Kathy was born to Novia Bell Fraser and Doris Lee Reid Fraser on November 12, 1954, in Canton, Georgia, and grew up there. She attended Cherokee High School, where she sang in the All-State Chorus and attended the Georgia Governor’s Honors program as a drama student, graduating in 1972. With scholarships, she worked her way through Berry College at Mount Berry, Georgia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1976, preparing her for a career as a professional musician.

A highly accomplished dramatic mezzo-soprano and lyric soprano, Kathy taught music in her hometown schools and was choral director for Cherokee High and Canton First Methodist Church, frequently singing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Soon she moved to the Washington, DC, and Norfolk, Virginia, areas where she sang and played piano professionally at many venues in the east and served as Artist in Residence for the Virginia Opera Association. She eventually settled in Newark, Delaware, where she taught music at public and private schools in Delaware and New Jersey. She continued to perform in operatic and musical theatre productions in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

She was also the choral director for A. I. DuPont High School and the Astra-Zeneca Singers, both of Wilmington, Delaware, and was Director of Music for the Hockessin (Delaware) United Methodist Church.

Kathy attended the University of Delaware’s graduate school and received the degree of Master of Music in 2012. She continued her singing career with the University’s Schola Cantorum, as well as with CoroAllegro, Delaware’s chamber choir.

Kathy maintained a long interest in history that flourished in her later years. She made great use of her dramatic talents as an interpreter for the Jerusalem Mill museum complex at Gunpowder State Park in Maryland. She also passionately pursued her Scotland roots in the Lovat Fraser and Reid families, later serving as the Secretary of the Clan Fraser Society of North America.

Kathy was predeceased by her parents, her uncle Hack and aunt Lucille Reid, her uncle JB and aunt Marie Fraser, and her cousin Gary Fraser. She is survived by her sister Susan Fraser Ramage of Acworth, Georgia; cousin Elaine Fraser Roberts of Ball Ground, Georgia; cousin Myrna Fraser Smith of Winder, Georgia; and many friends and former music students in the New Castle County area.

Donations in Kathy’s memory are welcomed at her favorite charities, the Save Mickey Association (SaveMickey.com) and the Faithful Friends Animal Society (FaithfulFriends.us).

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

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