Marvin Payne "Buddy" Frazer, III

Marvin Payne (Buddy) Frazer, III May 18, 1946 — April 9, 2023 “Buddy” was one of the lucky ones. He attended his own life celebration four years ago, just prior to moving with his wife, Glynda Turner, to her hometown of Huntsville, TX. Friends in Addison, TX, having watched his progression into dementia, invited people from all chapters of Buddy’s life to toast and pay tribute to his contributions to Addison and the many organizations he gave his time and talents to. Buddy’s parents, Marvin P. Frazer, Jr. and Elaine Yarborough Frazer (who proceeded him in death) had deep Nashville, TN roots, but Buddy was born "nine months and 15 minutes after the war” in Dallas, TX. After first grade at Stephen Foster elementary the family moved to Lubbock, TX in 1953. Lubbock may have been the home of Buddy Holly, but that did not matter to Buddy Frazer. He had his eye on all aspects of emerging technology. From his Lubbock bedroom, he set up and ran a radio station, interviewing kids walking home from school for his “Patio Party” program. In November 1963, he was recording a pep rally at Monterey High School when the principal stopped the cheering to announce President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. (He was pleased when the Sixth Floor Museum ask him to donate the recording and microphone to their collection.) While attending Texas Tech, he managed a small radio station in Abernathy, TX, and when he graduated in 1969 with an Electrical Engineering degree, Buddy returned to Dallas and began a career with Texas Instruments where technology nerds reigned. He stayed with Texas Instruments 27 years transitioning to their defense division, Raytheon. To avoid a transfer to Albuquerque, NM, he opted for an early retirement package. Buddy had embraced those years of world travel and all the technology challenges involved in communicating throughout the world. After retiring, Texas Instruments contracted with him to train other “road warriors”. Finally, back home in Addison, he volunteered to serve on the WaterTower Theater board, where he was introduced to his future wife at a season preview party. The Texas State Fair was opening the next day, and Glynda mentioned she was anxious to see the featured exhibit — HDTV. Buddy was only too happy to invite her to go with him. The pair were inseparable from September 1997, staying involved in civic activities. Buddy served multiple years as Chairman of the WaterTower Theatre board, chairman of Addison Planning and Zoning, chairman of the Dallas County Historical Commission, and board member of the Sixth Floor Museum and Dallas Historical Society. In February of 1999, Buddy and Glynda were clearing their schedules to get married and moving into their new Addison home — three closings in a week — his, hers, and ours. The phone rang, the Addison Mayor apparent called Glynda to say it was her time to run for city council. Buddy grabbed the phone and said, “Yes, she’d love to, and I’ll be her campaign manager.” It was probably the only Addison council campaign ever to have a full-time videographer. Their activities only escalated from that point throughout the next decade and in 2011 Buddy and Glynda were honored to receive the Community Builder award from Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas. Buddy used their civic responsibilities to pursue his real passion — all things that plugged in or had batteries, especially cameras — still and video, related devices, and editing. Does it get any better than a garage and office full of cords, cameras, batteries, computers, and tripods? In the midst of the Addison and Dallas involvement, Buddy was accompanying his wife down to Huntsville to visit her aging mother. They used this time to record video oral histories, events, and family gatherings on those trips. Buddy’s legacy will be those oral histories. In 2019 Buddy and Glynda moved to Huntsville. Buddy’s dementia progressed on a path that required nursing care since January of 2020. A huge thank you to the staff at Creekside Methodist Retirement Center for their care since early 2020. They remained caring and professional through the COVID pandemic and the ice storm of 2021. Despite icy roads, power and water outages, they were there for him. For three years these heroes worked behind tightly fitted masks as if it were normal. A word of gratitude to Oasis Hospice for their loving care and to Chaplain Wayne Norman for the comfort, companionship, and communion given a reluctant friend. Buddy is survived by his wife, Glynda Turner; his brother-in-law, Milton Henry Steffen, in Houston; and cousin, Randy Frazer and wife, Jennette, in Nashville, TN. A private life celebration will be held at a later date. Tributes and remembrances may be made at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home: www.shmfh.com.

Marvin Payne "Buddy" Frazer, III

May 18, 1946 - April 9, 2023