Route 20 wreck kills man

"James William Fraser, a well-known Coupeville resident and former Coupeville High School student, was killed in an accident on Patmore Road Tuesday night.The State Patrol reported that 27-year-old Fraser was driving a 1988 GMC pickup eastbound and lost control at a curve. The pickup left the roadway to the right and struck a tree on the driver’s side, then rolled.Fraser, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.The accident was reported at 8:35 p.m. The State Patrol cites excessive speed as the cause.Fraser was a 15-year resident of Whidbey Island. He was raised in Marysville and moved to Coupeville in 1985. He attended Coupeville schools from junior high through his junior year of high school, then went to Marysville for his senior year.Fraser had been working as a cook at the Captain’s Galley in Coupeville over the last year. His friend and manager, Rebecca Soapes, said she and her boyfriend had taken him into their home several months ago. “He wanted to clean up his act,” she said. “He came to us because we are clean and sober.”He apparently was on his way home when he crashed.Soapes describes Fraser as an “awesome guy” who had a lot going for him. Apart from moving in with her, Soapes said he also recently got involved with a new girlfriend. Fraser loved the outdoors. “One thing about James was that he was always by the beach and water,” Soapes said. “He loved fishing.”In fact, Fraser spent several summers in Alaska waters commercial fishing with his grandfather.Fraser’s mother, Tracy Zimmerman, is also a well-known Coupeville resident. His step-father, Jack Zimmerman, is superintendent of the Island County jail and a former community corrections officer.A memorial service will be held next Friday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m. at the Mountain View Presbyterian Church in Marysville. "

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