Dr. Abdulla Abdul-Rahman Al-Faisal, 87, of Ames, Iowa, passed away Saturday, November 16, 2024, surrounded by family. Abdulla, or "Ab", was born in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia in 1937, his life spanning centuries and continents. As a child he convinced his father to buy a new device called a radio. At the age of nine, he began work as a tailor's apprentice. At thirteen, he accepted a ride from his uncle to go work in the fields of the newborn oil industry. ARAMCO recognized his potential and sent him to high school in Beirut. Soon he was among the first Saudis sent by the government to the U.S. for higher education.
Ab received his undergraduate degree in sociology from Kent State University before transferring to Wichita State to pursue his Masters. There he met and married fellow student, Caroline "Sue" Karlin née Cathers. After moving to Iowa State University, they managed to complete their Ph.Ds. while having five children.
Ab and family returned to Saudi Arabia in 1979, and he became the chair of the Sociology Department at King Saud University in Riyadh. His favorite course to teach was "Saudi society" in which, despite opposition, he challenged his students to question their assumptions and explore the possibilities of social change.
His parents and family embraced his wife and children, welcoming his unconventional family with love and acceptance.
He lived the childhood he never had through his kids. He loved to start whipped cream fights at birthday parties and bring home surprises: new kinds of fruit, science experiments, a monkey.... After retiring back to Iowa, he worked with at-risk teens but always had time to take his grandchildren fishing or make them waffles after school - with two types of syrup.
A social theorist to his core, he discussed international politics through social media, tended his garden, grilled his famous chicken, and played with his great grandbabies. Ab loved the ideals of democracy; he delighted in children; he never met an enemy; but most of all he loved his family and remained passionately devoted to his wife, Sue, with his last breaths praising the light glinting silver in her hair.
Ab is survived by his wife, Sue Faisal, his five children: Kirsten, Latifah, Najeeb, Jehan, and Jalila, and their partners; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; and many wonderful people who became "family" over the years. A memorial open house will be held in the new year. Abdulla will be there in spirit, asking everyone if they'd like more food.