Dr. John “Duke” Melvin Frazier, 81, of Westminster, Maryland passed away on February 19, 2026. John was born on April 24, 1944 in Greensboro, North Carolina to Mary Ellen (nee Millard) Frazier and Richard Vann Frazier. He spent his childhood years in Baltimore, Maryland. He is survived by his wife Barbara, his children Karen Tomann (spouse Mark) and Brian Frazier (spouse Denise), his brother Vann Frazier, his sister Pat Jones, and his grandchildren Ian, Clara, Amy, and Margaret.

John attended Parkville High School, where he met Barbara Anne Douville. After dating in high school, they were married in 1965.

He received his bachelor’s degree and doctorate, both in physics, from Johns Hopkins University where he went on to become a Professor of Toxicology for 21 years. John also served as the Associate Director of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing for 9 of those years. After working at Johns Hopkins, John moved to Ohio where he served as Senior Scientist with the US Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB. During that time, he also served as an associate professor at Wright State University and adjunct professor at Michigan State University. He authored over 70 scientific papers and 18 book chapters and lectured at conferences in many countries around the world. In retirement, he was heavily involved with the Rotary Club of Tappahannock, Virginia.

In addition to his work, John was an avid gardener and greatly enjoyed stamp collecting, fishing, and wood working. Everywhere he lived, he left behind a beautiful garden full of tulips. He was a classic rock fan and was happy to chaperone both of his children at numerous concerts. He also loved to watch soccer, especially his favorite team, Manchester United.

He enjoyed travelling all around the world with Barbara, both for work and pleasure, visiting over 30 different countries. One of their favorite things to do was finding new locations for pictures of the infamous yellow shoes.

He will be deeply missed by his family, former students, and coworkers as well as by the many friends he made in Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, and around the world.

A celebration of life will be held at a future time at Brightview Westminster Ridge. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Ledwith-Lewis Free Clinic, PO Box 2313, 317 Duke Street, Tappahannock, VA, 22560.