Giedre Mary Bulota Obituary

Giedre Mary Bulota
03/10/1937 – 04/13/2024
Giedre, commonly known as Mary, passed away in her sleep on the morning of April 13, 2024, at her home in Berkeley. She had been suffering from Parkinson’s.

Mary was born on March 10, 1937, in Kaunas, Lithuania. Her father, Keistutis Bulota, was a business executive and former speed skater in the 1928 Winter Olympics. Her mother, Aldona Rugis, was Lithuanian-American, and involved in Lithuanian folk dancing.

As a result of the Hitler-Stalin pact in 1939, Mary’s father was seized by Russian authorities and sent to the Gulag, where he died. After Russia retreated from Lithuania, her mother, with help from Swiss diplomats, took Mary, her sister, Daina, and her Teddy Bear, Meskis (who remained a companion throughout her life) to Lisbon, Portugal. They returned to the U.S. on the last exchange of American and German civilians before the United States entered the war.

Mary grew up in Chicago. She enjoyed tennis, swimming in Lake Michigan, and reading. After graduating from Tully High at the age of 16, she entered the architectural program at the University of Illinois. Initially at Navy Pier and later, at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated in 1960 as one of two females in the program.

She was initially employed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, she visited California and decided to move here, joining the firm of Gardner Dailey. A few years later, she joined Fisher Friedman Associates as a senior designer for over 20 years.

In 1987, she married Leo Kane, an insurance executive, and moved to Philadelphia, Pa., joining a few firms there as a design architect. In 1993, Leo retired from C.I.G.N.A. and they returned to San Francisco.

Mary was hired by the San Francisco Housing Authority as a design architect and in charge of A.D.A. compliance. She retired in 2003.

When her sister, Daina, became ill, she and Leo moved to Berkeley to take care of her; they decided to stay after Daina’s death. Both joined the Berkeley City Club in 2013. Mary became active in preserving the Julia Morgan building and was a board member of both the Berkeley City Club and Berkeley City Club Conservancy.

Mary is survived by her husband, Leo Kane; stepchildren, Cliff and Nicoll Kane; and grandchildren, Kimberly, Sophia, Brendan, Naomi, and Alec.

There will be a Funeral Mass to Celebrate Mary’s Life, followed by a reception at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman St., Berkeley, on June 1, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Berkeley Humane Society.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on May 8, 2024.