Carolyn Fairbanks Williams Barrani

March 18, 1944 - July 24, 2020

Carolyn Fairbanks Williams Barrani, age 76, of Salt Lake City, Utah, passed away with her family at her side, on July 24th, 2020, a Pioneer Woman of her time. Carolyn was born March 18th, 1944, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Darlene Louise Bigler and John B. Fairbanks Jr. She was later adopted by Wallace Williams who raised her. Carolyn attended East High School, were she was the first Sterling Scholar in Art, then attended BYU. She later attended the Royal School of Needlework. Carolyn had a love for the Arab people at a young age and met her eternal husband, Omar A. Barrani, at the University of Utah in 1960 at an Arabic calligraphy exhibit. They were married on November 9th, 1963. She designed jewelry for OC Tanner and then Carolyn and Omar moved to Benghazi, Libya in 1965, and started their family there while running the family import/export business. Carolyn loved her new Libyan family and thrived in the change of culture. In 1970 Carolyn returned to Salt Lake ahead of Omar, and started her own business on Main Street, The Tapis-Tree, a needle arts business catering to the new resurgence of handwork. Her needlework and profile were featured in national magazines such as Woman’s Day and Family Circle. Carolyn decided to design and manufacture her own high-end needlework kits with Omar, a business they maintained for 50 years. She spearheaded the American effort to restore the bedcurtains of Sulgrave Manor, Sulgrave, England, the ancestral home of George Washington. Carolyn and Omar enjoyed traveling abroad and attending needlework shows across the United States. Carolyn was a lifelong and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everyone could feel her loving and forgiving kindness and she lived her life under the example of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a mother she brought her faith, appreciation of the arts and world travel to her children. She balanced discipline with love and focused on a happy home and creating memories such as allowing birthday cake for breakfast and flexibility on school attendance on Fridays to catch up on old movies together. She loved art, beauty and graciousness in all forms; classical music, ballet, opera, painting, architecture and gardens. She was an accomplished painter of the highest caliber, especially in oils, using the Old Masters technique as she studied under the great Frank Covino. Carolyn and Omar created a very close family and she is survived by her husband of 57 years, Omar Barrani; sister, Lynn B. Williams; children: Maha Barrani (Mark Rex), Kadri Barrani, and Rheim Penman (Jon L. Penman); grandchildren, Tyler, Kadin, Mia, Duncan, Jason, and Jonny. There will be visiting at the Neil 0’Donnell Funeral Home 372 East 100 South, Salt Lake City on Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, please wear masks. A private burial will follow the next day.