Fareed M. Abdulky

Fareed M. Abdulky

(March 31st, 1945- November, 1st, 2024)

Fareed M. Abdulky passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, on Friday, November 1st, 2024. Fareed was born in Al-Hasakah, Syria, on March 31st, 1945, to his father, Mansour Abdulky, and mother, Mary Miro. When his father went to register his birth the very next day, he realized that it was April Fool’s Day. Deciding he couldn’t have that date registered as his son’s birthday, he waited one extra day; hence, Fareed’s legal birthday is April 2nd, 1945.

Although Fareed always pushed his kids to excel in schooling, he himself was not one for academics growing up. He gravitated towards creativity and preferred from a young age to work with his hands. His love for the craft of goldsmithing was realized in his pre-teen years in Damascus, the epicenter of the world for goldsmithing. He would watch the goldsmiths at their benches through shop windows. By the age of fourteen, he was training in the craft and had found what he loved to do; he never looked back.

In 1972, Fareed decided it was time to join his brother, David, in the United States. He traveled to the U.S. without much to his name and eventually landed in Ithaca, NY. In May of 1979, he traveled back to Syria for his wife, Lamia, who he was not yet married to. Before traveling back for Lamia, he untraditionally picked out her wedding dress to bring to her. They married in Syria before he brought Lamia back to the U.S. to start their lives together. By February 1980, Fareed and Lamia had welcomed their first child, Christine. They would go on to have two more children, son Mansour and daughter Carla.

Fareed’s success with his jewelry business took off. He had a jewelry manufacturing company, F.M. Abdulky Inc., as well as a jeweler tool company called CrisTool (named after his oldest, Christine). When his youngest daughter Carla was 4 years old, he decided to open a retail company and showroom. Carla argued with her dad that she needed a business named after her; he was easily convinced and opened Carla Bijouterie. Fareed’s talent was unmatched; he was a master of his craft. He trained many people under him and took great pride and joy in sharing the craft with others. His greatest joy in work was creating pieces for people and watching them fill with joy at the sight of their new pieces. It wasn’t the fact that Fareed could build anything on the jeweler’s bench that gave him the most pride; it was his love for people and building connections and relationships with those who walked through his shop doors. It didn’t matter who you were—Fareed would make you feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated in his presence.

Fareed was undoubtedly a workaholic. The only thing he loved more than his craft, and the only other thing he made time for, was his beloved family. One of his greatest joys was traveling for his son’s hockey games. He would passionately watch Mansour play and yell his infamous line, “Mansour—keep zee stick on zee ice!” Admittedly, although he supported his daughters’ love for dance, he rarely made it through a full performance without falling asleep between dances, waiting for his daughters to hit the stage.

Later in life, he would find immense joy in spending time with (and spoiling any way he could) his seven grandchildren. Fareed was undoubtedly a strict father but softened considerably with his role as Jido (grandpa), often telling his own children to “take it easy” when they showed their children any semblance of the “tough love” mentality he once exuded. Fareed lived life with two goals: to provide for his family and show them how deeply loved they were by him. He succeeded at both these goals.

Fareed created a family emblem to gift as a pendant for his son nearly 20 years ago. On the emblem, he placed the words “Be a man of courage, be strong, and do everything in love.” These were not just words; they were truly how Fareed lived his entire life and why he will be missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved him.

Fareed is preceded in death by his mother, Mary; his father, Mansour; and his brother, David. He is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Lamia Zarif Abdulky; his children, Christine (Ryan) Farrell, Mansour (Justine) Abdulky, and Carla (Dane) Schreiner; his brother, George Abdulky, and sister, Fareeda Abdulky; his nieces and nephews, Mary Abdulky, Enaam Abdulky, Elias Abdulky, Eiad Abdulky, Nagham Abdulky, Obaida Abdulky, Nabgh Abdulky, Ammar Abdulky, Sulema Abdulky, David Abdulky, Michael Abdulky, Elaine Abdulky, and Linda Alzarif; his grandchildren, Kellen, Nola, Ophelia, Amani, Amir, Andreas, and Elias; and his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Hassan Alzarif, Marwan Alzarif, Lina Alzarif, Laila Abdulky, and Amal Abdulky and mother-in-law, Lindah Karkour.

A public celebration of Fareed’s life will be held on Thursday, November 7th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the RaNic Golf Club, located at 189 Pleasant Grove Road in Ithaca. All who knew and loved Fareed are warmly invited to drop by at any time during this period. Funeral services will be private for the family. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes.