The Winnipeg transit bus driver who was stabbed to death Tuesday night spent his formative years in Sudbury, where he still has family.
Irvine “Jubal” Fraser, 58, was attacked and killed at the last stop of his route, outside the University of Winnipeg.
“From what I understand, there was just one gentleman left on the bus," said June Davis, whose family grew up with Fraser's on Louis Street. "He said to the fellow that this was the last stop, and sure enough, he was stabbed in the neck."
Brian Kyle Thomas, 22, is charged with second-degree murder in the case, as well as illegal possession of a weapon.
Davis said the two families were one of the first to move to Louis Street and they remain close today. Fraser moved to Winnipeg after graduating from high school, but returned regularly to visit family.
"He was like a brother,” Davis said. "Him and one of my brothers, Dean, they were the best of friends. So he truly was like a brother to our family. He was very kind, a gentleman, he was funny, considerate. He was just an all around really good person."
Fraser drove for Winnipeg Transit for about 25 years and only had another year or two before retiring, she said.
"He was just here last summer,” Davis said. “Every time he comes home, he always comes by to see me. We were really close ... We talked outside on my little patio here for hours."
They talked about the loss of his daughter, who had passed away, and how he and his wife were trying to get through that. And his house caught on fire in the fall.
"But they were just starting to get to a place where things were getting better," David said. "It was a really big shock. It really was."
