On August 18, 2022, William Francis Frascella Jr., age 74, passed away. Bill was born in Somerville, NJ, on March 30, 1948, to William and Mary (née Kwatonowski). His youth was spent on a family farm with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Bill attended Rider University. In the late 1960s, he came to The Valley and was a ski bum working and living at the Falcon’s Lair; he stayed on to become a member of the community. He owned and operated many businesses in The Valley including Bilbo’s Ice Cream Parlor, The Little Grocery, and The China Barn. He was also known as “the cookie man” in his later endeavors with his Pepperidge Farm franchise route.
Bill picked up a hitchhiker and offered her a job, and she later became his wife. Bill always liked to say there were tens of thousands at his wedding as it was on July 4, 1987, on Fuller Hill Road. Bill and Barbara welcomed William III the following year. The three of them enjoyed many happy times skiing, sailing on his beloved Cal 27, and enjoying their home. Bill was a loving father, husband, grandfather, uncle, and friend. Anyone who met him could instantly feel his genuine curiosity and care towards their own interests and achievements. Please pay his kindness forward.
Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara, his son, William III, his daughter-in-law, Colleen, and his grandson, William IV.
There will be a celebration of life in honor of Bill on Sunday, September 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the pavilion at the Mad River Barn in Waitsfield. All are welcome. Come by and raise a glass to Bill.
Any memorial contributions in Bill’s honor can be made to the Mad River Valley Community Fund or Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice.
