Obituary of William James Frawley

William James (Bud) Frawley, age 88, of Bridgeport, beloved husband of Shirley Rauson Frawley, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 20. 2026 with his loving family by his side. Born on September 14, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, he was the son of the late William and Blanche White Frawley.

Mr. Frawley earned his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from John Caroll University and his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma. Best known as a pioneer in the field of data science and AI, specifically for helping to establish the discipline of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) and co-editing the seminal 1991 book of the same name.

Bud loved traveling and he and Shirley visited many different countries, sometimes on bicycles. He especially like to visit Lexington's sister city Antony, France, where they had may friends and were always warmly welcomed.

Bud volunteered at the Boston Ballet and the Lexington Symphony. He treasured time with his family, especially his grandchildren. But above all of his accomplishments in life, none was greater than that of husband, father and grandfather. The unconditional love he gave and the values he instilled will forever live in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

In addition to his beloved wife Shirley, survivors include two loving daughters, Denise Pedersen and her husband Robert and Shannon Reeve, his daughter-in-law, Joanne Frawley, six cherished grandchildren, Heather, Jennifer, Christine, Matthew, Katelyn and Jonathan, six adored great grandchildren, Taylor, Brooke, Jake, Erin, Madison and Maximus and a treasured great great granddaughter, Eloise. He was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia Fabian Frawley and his son Kevin Michael Frawley.

Relatives and friends may greet the family on Sunday, July 26, 2026 from 1 – 4 p.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Rd., Trumbull. Interment will be private at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 or at www.cancer.org. To leave an online condolence please visit www.abrioal.com.