William FAIRBANKS

1953 - 2022

FAIRBANKS, William P.

Musician and restaurant owner, Bill Fairbanks, left this world in pursuit of the next on Sunday, January 30, 2022. He was 68 years old and succumbed to interstitial lung disease resulting from Scleroderma at his home in Saxapahaw, NC.

Bill was born June 30, 1953, in Hamilton, Ohio, to Joseph P. and Elizabeth (Sehlstedt) Fairbanks. He was the 6th of their 14 children, educated at St Peter in Chains, and graduated from Badin High School in 1971. Bill joined with Badin alumnus John Hurd and others to form the band The Brotherhood. They recorded songs on the album Stavia, which is still available after fifty years. In 1974, Bill married Gail Paterson from Perrysburg, OH. They met in Oxford, OH where Gail was a student at Western College and Bill played in a local band: Jive Soup.

Bill began playing jazz at a young age, so in 1976 he and his wife moved to San Francisco where he played bass with the Avant Gardeners (Dan Hicks, Tom Waits, Ralph Carney) and collaborated with Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch, along with many others. Bill and Gail opened the Mimosa Cafe, a popular vegetarian spot in Oakland. In 1995, they moved to Chapel Hill, NC to open a second restaurant, Carrburritos Taqueria, a beloved institution in Carrboro. It is now run by Bill's elder daughter, Rae Mosher.

Bill is survived by his wife Gail, daughters Rae (Sean Mosher) and Lily (Sam Rudy), grandchildren Maya and Coltrane Mosher, twelve siblings and many beloved nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Betty Fairbanks, and his brother, Edward Fairbanks.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages loved ones to support The Fairbanks House Museum outside Boston. This is the oldest timber frame home standing in North America and is a non-profit close to Bill's heart.

The family celebrated a private green burial service last week outside Galax, VA.