Barbara Dahl Williams

Barbara Dahl Williams passed away peacefully on August 31, 2021, surrounded by her family. Barbara was born on June 27, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was raised by her mom Esther Fannin Dahl and her stepdad Glen Hatch. She lived the first 5 years of her life with her grandparents Cora and Moses Fannin in Salmon Idaho, who made a great impression on her life and helped her learn gospel principles that she held close all her life. She graduated from high school in Seattle Washington, and then moved to Ephrata, Washington to work, where she met the love of her life, Max Gray Williams. They were married in the Manti Temple on February 20, 1951.

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She and Max, a civil engineer traveled and lived all over the world and made life-long friends with many people in many countries. They first went to Adana, Turkey for six months with their young family in 1965, while waiting to go to East Pakistan because there was unrest in that area. They continued to Dacca, East Pakistan where they lived for two years, then back to the United States until all the children graduated from high school. Mom and Dad then traveled and lived for a time in Iran, Peru, Bangladesh, West Pakistan, Sulawesi and Java Indonesia, Philippines, Argentina, and Abu Dhabi, UAE. In Abu Dhabi, they worked with their oldest son Neil Williams who is also a civil engineer. Mom and Dad had made so many appearances at the Salt Lake airport that many of their younger grandchildren thought that Mom and Dad were continually flying in the air. When they saw a airplane way up in the air they would point straight up and declare “There they are! There are Grandma and Grandpa”

Mom was a camping expert. As a Young Women’s camp director for seven years, Barbara met and worked with many young women and other leaders, including a special friend Ruth who also became a life-long friend. Barbara enjoyed painting, making Christmas ornaments, crystal bead temples, and Brazilian embroidery. She was an impeccable seamstress. There was nothing that she could not figure out how to make. She loved reading, cross word puzzles and card games. She lost her eyesight and hearing late in life and was unable to do those things she loved to do. Her son and daughter-in-law Neil and Diana were inspired to give her a portable CD player when Max passed away, and Mom learned about the world of audio books. She listened to 2 to 3 books a week, having the desire to learn and gain knowledge in all subjects. During Covid, her son Thane created Sunday School video lessons just for Mom, and he texted them to her each Sunday. Mom and her daughter Becky shared a love of animals, especially dogs. Becky gave Mom and Dad two wonderful dogs to care for in their later years, which brought them a lot of joy.

Genealogy was her life. Mom woke one morning and told us there was something wrong with one of the families she had been working on. After reviewing her family she found someone had made a change and accidentally reversed a father and son. Mom would not rest until we had gone with her to make sure the correction was made at the genealogy library.

Barbara is survived by son Neil (Diana) Williams, daughter Gail (Robert) Snow, son Thane (Roberta) Williams, daughter Rebecca Thurston (partner Dan Desauriers), 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren with one great grandchild on the way.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and sisters Elvera and Lucille.

A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2021, 11 AM with a viewing beginning at 9:30 AM, at the Midvale 1st Ward, 308 West 7500 South, Midvale, Utah.