Gleb W. Bulanow

Born on December 25, 1931, in Lyon, France, the only child of Russian immigrants. His parents were the only known survivors of a large Cossack family that was murdered by the Bolsheviks, along with millions of others, during the Russian Revolution. Gleb was nine years old when the Nazis invaded France and he and his parents were taken to Germany as forced labor during World War II. They survived the war and lived in a Displaced Persons camp for five years before immigrating to America in 1951.
At the age of 19, Gleb and his parents arrived in New York harbor under the Statue of Liberty with only the clothes on their backs. He began working and went on to live what he always described as the American dream. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War era. He moved to Wisconsin and graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Gleb worked as an Electrical Engineer and was involved in the development of the navigation system for the Apollo space program. He later worked at General Electric Medical Systems where he helped to develop advanced diagnostic equipment. He retired from GE in 1997.
Gleb met Sandra Evert on a blind date. They married in 1965 and raised three sons in a loving home. After 45 years of marriage, Sandra passed away in 2011. Gleb joined his beloved wife in eternity on December 10, 2024. He was 92.
Gleb was raised Christian in the Russian Orthodox Church and continued worshipping at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church after moving to Milwaukee. At the age of 42, he entered into a personal relationship with Christ, and together with Sandy began attending a smaller church closer to home, finally settling at Spring Creek. Gleb lived out his life of faith in God through deep devotion to church and family, eventually using his skills at a medical mission in The Gambia, and in Ukraine.
He lived with a spirit of gratitude and constant awareness of the gifts God had granted him throughout his life. His life story was captured by Sandy in an almost four hour video series (youtube.com/@glebsstory). Part of his story was featured in an exhibition at the City Museum of Munich throughout 2024.
Gleb is predeceased by his parents, Wasily Ivanovich and Maria Afanasievna Bulanow; his wife, Sandra Marie Bulanow; and his grandson, Zachariah Mark Bulanow. He is survived by three sons, Peter (Jackie), Mark (Julie) and Gregory (Jacqueline); and five grandchildren, Lucinda, Nadia, Claudia, Nyah, and Owen.