Joy Fraser (1977-2023)

Joy Fraser, born 1977, died on December 17, 2023 in St John’s, Newfoundland. Joy was an assistant professor of Folklore at George Mason University from 2013-2018, where she was a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend.

Several of her students are organizing a virtual event on Burns Night to honor her memory, Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 pm ET on twitch.tv/folkwise. If you have any questions, email Kaityln Kinney at kkinney2@gmu.edu.

Joy was born and brought up in Scotland, and leaves her grieving parents, brother and sister, nephews and niece and extended family there. She came went to Memorial University of Newfoundland as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1999 and gained a Masters degree and a PhD in Folklore. After seven years on the staff of George Mason University, she moved back to St John’s, with regular visits home to Edinburgh. She loved her work in folklore and had just completed an exhibition on Mummers at the Rooms.

Joy’s passion was her garden and her family requests that memorial contributions in Joy’s honor be made to the Memorial University Botanical Garden.