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Official Obituary of

Vilis Rudolfs Gulbis

October 24, 1942 ~ March 15, 2020 (age 77) 77 Years Old

Vilis Gulbis Tribute

Vilis Rudolfs Gulbis, 77, of Wallingford, CT, died on Sunday March 15, 2020.

He was born on October 24th, 1942 in Rīga, Latvia, a son of the late Raimunds Fridrichs Gulbis and Tekla Apolonia Gulbis (nee Prekels). He is survived by his second wife Iveta Grinvalde.

The Gulbis family emigrated to the United States in 1949 to Staten Island, New York. The family eventually settled in Wallingford, CT, close to Vilis’ aunt Milda and her family. Vilis graduated Lyman Hall in 1960 and went on to study at Purdue University. In 1963, Vilis enlisted in the United States Army and served until 1966. After his service he attended The University of Connecticut and received a BA in English, with minors in philosophy and theater in 1968.

Vilis was a longtime active member of the St. John Latvian Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He directed many plays for church events and holidays. Until retirement, Vilis worked in various companies as a Customer Service Manager, troubleshooting issues. After retiring he decided to fulfill his dream of working as a masseuse. In 2009 Vilis was certified as a Massage Therapist by the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy.

Vilis enjoyed the outdoors, and had a great respect for the ocean and loved watching the sunset over the water.

Vilis is survived by his daughter Daina Gulbis, her husband Tom Damratoski and their daughters Anna and Ella; his daughter Ieva, her husband Karl Alverson and their son Olafs; his sister Aina and her husband Harold Lindquist and their families; cousin Vija Schenk and her family; cousin Marija Cace; and the mother of his daughters, Dace Gulbis.

Due to the current pandemic, his memorial services are as of yet, undetermined.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family asks that donations be made to the NY Latvian Church Camp by using the link below and choosing “Nometne//Camp” in the optional pulldown menu.

https://www.nydraudze.org/donate

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