Guy Fraley
September 20, 1941 — November 7, 2023
Guy Robert Fraley departed this earthly life on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, after complications associated with cardiovascular & kidney disease. He was 82 years old and was residing in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
Guy was the son of the late Ermon Edward Fraley and Daisy Elnora (Loftis) Fraley and raised in Crittenden County, Kentucky. He is survived by his daughter, Joy Fulton, and her grandson, Grant Fulton all of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, as well as his sisters Barbara Fritts, Amy Mitchell, and Iva Griffin of Henderson, KY and extended family also residing in Kentucky, Utah, and Colorado.
Guy led a dynamic life with real-life accounts of situations and anecdotes to prove his journeys that would put the literary greats to shame. From dynamite runner for coal mines, to master carpenter and auto mechanic, to owner/operator of full-service gas stations, car lots, and insurance agencies, there was nothing he could not put his mind to and accomplish. Upon moving to Florida, Guy became a licensed condominium manager and real-estate agent, further proving his talents of being able to constantly tackle with gusto - and HIS UNIQUE brand of God-given grace - whatever life threw at him.
For a man who was sent home sick to die at the young age of 9 years old, he showed this world that he was not done with it yet. He lived every day to its fullest potential while battling health challenges that would put most people into a deep state of depression for the remainder of their lives - but NOT Guy. He was not taking his diagnosis as a death sentence. He saw it as a challenge to prove with the right mindset and conviction, God is great NO MATTER the circumstance and you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to as long as your priorities are in the correct order, i.e., God first in all things to be able to appropriately take care of your family with unconditional love and support.
For those who encountered my father, you know his definition of family stemmed way beyond blood lines. He took every opportunity to help those he met and made a lasting impression in so many lives, that I do not believe he ever fully understood his impact on this earth. From paying for Greyhound bus rides for strangers to help them get where they were trying to go, to being a first responder as a citizen in blazing car wrecks, to performing CPR on people innocently enjoying their breakfast at restaurants when unthinkable health crisis hit while we were on vacation, to picking up the check for our law enforcement officers that he saw out in restaurants without them ever knowing who paid, my dad was afraid of NOTHING and used his time in this world to TRULY put others first. If you look up the words empathy and humanity in the dictionary, I promise you in your mind's eye you will see Guy Fraley. The living version of what it means to rejoice in the potential of your fellow man and sincerely wanting to help them with whatever tools God has blessed you with.
His partner in life was my sweet mother, Eleanor Jane "Janie" Fraley, for whom he always addressed as his girlfriend. She never backed down from a challenge and it was this disposition that drew him to her, as he saw her as the peanut butter to his jelly, but probably a more fitting description would be the Bonnie to his Clyde (minus the horrendous acts of course). These two saw the open road as their playground and a dirt path for walking, that if just wide enough, could get a four-wheel drive vehicle up it, or at the very least, a chained up motorcycle. You see, my mom knew he could fix anything, find the most remote location to show her God's beautiful works of nature, and she would say let's go when he would open a map and point to a spot for them to visit.
A word we see today in use on spare tire covers of off-road vehicles is wanderlust. For these two it was a way of life. "For my part," writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels with a Donkey, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." Those with wanderlust do not necessarily need to go anywhere in particular; they just do not care to stay in one spot. The etymology of wanderlust is a very simple one that you can probably figure out yourself. Wanderlust is a lust for wandering. The word comes from German, in which wandern means "to hike or roam about," and lust means "pleasure or delight."
My goal in this life is to embrace this wanderlust spirit they cultivated in me and try my best to pass it on to my son, their grandson, Grant. Life is what we make of it and right outside our front doors are journeys to take and adventures to embark upon be it for the afternoon, weeks, or months at a time, if we prioritize the gift that is experiencing nature.
With that, we are having a celebration of life outside, by the intracoastal in Palm Valley, FL the first weekend of December. As a man of faith, Guy wished to have a celebration of the immortality promised to all by Christ. He would love to be remembered with funny, strange, or silly stories that celebrate what was good and blessed in his life.
In honor of Guy, in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to Jacksonville BMX. Grant is a fierce and ranked competitor, and he took great joy in watching him compete. Making an impact to his local BMX track solidifies his presence with his grandson in the sport that he loves.
Jacksonville BMX (In Memory of Guy Fraley)
Mailing Address:
695 A1A N
Unit 25
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Guy was the son of the late Ermon Edward Fraley and Daisy Elnora (Loftis) Fraley and raised in Crittenden County, Kentucky. He is survived by his daughter, Joy Fulton, and her grandson, Grant Fulton all of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, as well as his sisters Barbara Fritts, Amy Mitchell, and Iva Griffin of Henderson, KY and extended family also residing in Kentucky, Utah, and Colorado.
Guy led a dynamic life with real-life accounts of situations and anecdotes to prove his journeys that would put the literary greats to shame. From dynamite runner for coal mines, to master carpenter and auto mechanic, to owner/operator of full-service gas stations, car lots, and insurance agencies, there was nothing he could not put his mind to and accomplish. Upon moving to Florida, Guy became a licensed condominium manager and real-estate agent, further proving his talents of being able to constantly tackle with gusto - and HIS UNIQUE brand of God-given grace - whatever life threw at him.
For a man who was sent home sick to die at the young age of 9 years old, he showed this world that he was not done with it yet. He lived every day to its fullest potential while battling health challenges that would put most people into a deep state of depression for the remainder of their lives - but NOT Guy. He was not taking his diagnosis as a death sentence. He saw it as a challenge to prove with the right mindset and conviction, God is great NO MATTER the circumstance and you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to as long as your priorities are in the correct order, i.e., God first in all things to be able to appropriately take care of your family with unconditional love and support.
For those who encountered my father, you know his definition of family stemmed way beyond blood lines. He took every opportunity to help those he met and made a lasting impression in so many lives, that I do not believe he ever fully understood his impact on this earth. From paying for Greyhound bus rides for strangers to help them get where they were trying to go, to being a first responder as a citizen in blazing car wrecks, to performing CPR on people innocently enjoying their breakfast at restaurants when unthinkable health crisis hit while we were on vacation, to picking up the check for our law enforcement officers that he saw out in restaurants without them ever knowing who paid, my dad was afraid of NOTHING and used his time in this world to TRULY put others first. If you look up the words empathy and humanity in the dictionary, I promise you in your mind's eye you will see Guy Fraley. The living version of what it means to rejoice in the potential of your fellow man and sincerely wanting to help them with whatever tools God has blessed you with.
His partner in life was my sweet mother, Eleanor Jane "Janie" Fraley, for whom he always addressed as his girlfriend. She never backed down from a challenge and it was this disposition that drew him to her, as he saw her as the peanut butter to his jelly, but probably a more fitting description would be the Bonnie to his Clyde (minus the horrendous acts of course). These two saw the open road as their playground and a dirt path for walking, that if just wide enough, could get a four-wheel drive vehicle up it, or at the very least, a chained up motorcycle. You see, my mom knew he could fix anything, find the most remote location to show her God's beautiful works of nature, and she would say let's go when he would open a map and point to a spot for them to visit.
A word we see today in use on spare tire covers of off-road vehicles is wanderlust. For these two it was a way of life. "For my part," writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels with a Donkey, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." Those with wanderlust do not necessarily need to go anywhere in particular; they just do not care to stay in one spot. The etymology of wanderlust is a very simple one that you can probably figure out yourself. Wanderlust is a lust for wandering. The word comes from German, in which wandern means "to hike or roam about," and lust means "pleasure or delight."
My goal in this life is to embrace this wanderlust spirit they cultivated in me and try my best to pass it on to my son, their grandson, Grant. Life is what we make of it and right outside our front doors are journeys to take and adventures to embark upon be it for the afternoon, weeks, or months at a time, if we prioritize the gift that is experiencing nature.
With that, we are having a celebration of life outside, by the intracoastal in Palm Valley, FL the first weekend of December. As a man of faith, Guy wished to have a celebration of the immortality promised to all by Christ. He would love to be remembered with funny, strange, or silly stories that celebrate what was good and blessed in his life.
In honor of Guy, in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to Jacksonville BMX. Grant is a fierce and ranked competitor, and he took great joy in watching him compete. Making an impact to his local BMX track solidifies his presence with his grandson in the sport that he loves.
Jacksonville BMX (In Memory of Guy Fraley)
Mailing Address:
695 A1A N
Unit 25
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
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