Holiday won't be the same without 'Parks'
By Christine Igo Freeman
Jim and Stephanie (Loder) Fraser celebrate Thanksgiving breakfast every year with family and friends. This year, there will be someone special missing for the holiday season.
Jeff Parker used to be part of that annual family tradition. Parker wrestled for Jim Fraser, who was coach of the Foxboro Warriors when Parker was in high school. But along the way, he also became a member of the Fraser family.
Sadly, Parker died in May of 2010 after a battle with cancer. In memory of her friend, seventh-grader Taylor Fraser designed a special t-shirt complete with angel wings to wear on what would have been Parker's 26th birthday on Nov. 10.
Taylor is the oldest of Jim and Stephanie's three children, and she remembers how she and "Parks" would fight over the fortune cookies at Thanksgiving breakfast every November.
Shortly after Thanksgiving came Christmas, and with Christmas came "Parks," as they called him, with presents for Taylor, her sister Mackenzi and their little brother James.
It was these happy memories that inspired Taylor to want to do something special in memory of her friend on his birthday.
So, Taylor Fraser and her friend Jen Dooley decorated t-shirts to wear to the Ahern School on Parker's birthday. Mackenzi and James Fraser also made t-shirts and wore them to the Igo School that day, where Mackenzi is in grade 4 and James is in kindergarten.
The t-shirts were decorated with angel wings, flying doves, #56 (which was Parker's football number at FHS), UB for the University of Buffalo, where he went to college, and 285, which was Parker's heavyweight wrestling class. Taylor's mother Stephanie becomes emotional as she explains, "It was all Taylor's idea to make and wear t-shirts for Parker's birthday."
This story all starts with wrestling. Jim Fraser is now in his ninth season as head coach of the Foxboro High School wrestling team. Prior to that, he served as an assistant for Foxboro for more than a decade. Before he became a wrestling coach, he was a wrestler for the Warriors and is a former state champion in the 135-pound division. He graduated from Foxboro High School in 1986. It was that same year that he became only the school's third state champion ever, following Bob Moreshead and Bernie Cataloni.
While Fraser was coaching his high school team, his nephew Mike Ragusa used to come by the high school gym daily. Ragusa became his uncle's biggest fan from the time he was in fifth grade. Ragusa's best friend began to wonder where he went every day after school. So, Ragusa invited his friend to go watch practice sessions and wrestling meets. Ragusa's friend was Jeff Parker.
Parker was from a big hockey family and wrestling was new to him. By the time the boys were in the eighth grade, they became teammates on Fraser's high school team. At that time, eighth graders were attending Foxboro High School and that enabled Parker and Ragusa to join the team a year earlier than most. By 2002-03 season, the two friends were senior co-captains and won their fifth consecutive MIAA Division 3 State title.
To this day, they are the only two kids in FHS history to win five straight state titles. Parker, Ragusa and teammate Tyler Laracy each won individual state titles that year. Coach Fraser was named MIAA Division 3 Coach of the Year. Parker and Ragusa both ended up going to the University of Buffalo where they were teammates on the college's wrestling team. By senior year, Parker was team captain and beat his friend Ragusa in the number of take-downs in a single season.
Ragusa was already a member of the Fraser Family, and thanks to his longtime friendship with Parker, "Parks" also became part of their family.
Sadly, "Parks" will not be home for the holidays in Foxboro as in years past; but thanks to his friends like Taylor Fraser, his spirit will be here generation after generation in the hearts of all those he loved.
Jeff Parker used to be part of that annual family tradition. Parker wrestled for Jim Fraser, who was coach of the Foxboro Warriors when Parker was in high school. But along the way, he also became a member of the Fraser family.
Sadly, Parker died in May of 2010 after a battle with cancer. In memory of her friend, seventh-grader Taylor Fraser designed a special t-shirt complete with angel wings to wear on what would have been Parker's 26th birthday on Nov. 10.
Taylor is the oldest of Jim and Stephanie's three children, and she remembers how she and "Parks" would fight over the fortune cookies at Thanksgiving breakfast every November.
Shortly after Thanksgiving came Christmas, and with Christmas came "Parks," as they called him, with presents for Taylor, her sister Mackenzi and their little brother James.
It was these happy memories that inspired Taylor to want to do something special in memory of her friend on his birthday.
So, Taylor Fraser and her friend Jen Dooley decorated t-shirts to wear to the Ahern School on Parker's birthday. Mackenzi and James Fraser also made t-shirts and wore them to the Igo School that day, where Mackenzi is in grade 4 and James is in kindergarten.
The t-shirts were decorated with angel wings, flying doves, #56 (which was Parker's football number at FHS), UB for the University of Buffalo, where he went to college, and 285, which was Parker's heavyweight wrestling class. Taylor's mother Stephanie becomes emotional as she explains, "It was all Taylor's idea to make and wear t-shirts for Parker's birthday."
This story all starts with wrestling. Jim Fraser is now in his ninth season as head coach of the Foxboro High School wrestling team. Prior to that, he served as an assistant for Foxboro for more than a decade. Before he became a wrestling coach, he was a wrestler for the Warriors and is a former state champion in the 135-pound division. He graduated from Foxboro High School in 1986. It was that same year that he became only the school's third state champion ever, following Bob Moreshead and Bernie Cataloni.
While Fraser was coaching his high school team, his nephew Mike Ragusa used to come by the high school gym daily. Ragusa became his uncle's biggest fan from the time he was in fifth grade. Ragusa's best friend began to wonder where he went every day after school. So, Ragusa invited his friend to go watch practice sessions and wrestling meets. Ragusa's friend was Jeff Parker.
Parker was from a big hockey family and wrestling was new to him. By the time the boys were in the eighth grade, they became teammates on Fraser's high school team. At that time, eighth graders were attending Foxboro High School and that enabled Parker and Ragusa to join the team a year earlier than most. By 2002-03 season, the two friends were senior co-captains and won their fifth consecutive MIAA Division 3 State title.
To this day, they are the only two kids in FHS history to win five straight state titles. Parker, Ragusa and teammate Tyler Laracy each won individual state titles that year. Coach Fraser was named MIAA Division 3 Coach of the Year. Parker and Ragusa both ended up going to the University of Buffalo where they were teammates on the college's wrestling team. By senior year, Parker was team captain and beat his friend Ragusa in the number of take-downs in a single season.
Ragusa was already a member of the Fraser Family, and thanks to his longtime friendship with Parker, "Parks" also became part of their family.
Sadly, "Parks" will not be home for the holidays in Foxboro as in years past; but thanks to his friends like Taylor Fraser, his spirit will be here generation after generation in the hearts of all those he loved.
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They are a little place for you to call home as to have a look around an area that you have always wanted to visit.
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