Long-time Claremonter, loving wife and mother

Olga Bulat Guptill, loving wife, mother and grandmother, died peacefully in Pomona on December 23, 2024.

Olga was born to Anna (Milicevic) and Dragon Bulat on July 19, 1932, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her Serbian parents emigrated from Yugoslavia to America the early 1900s. Her early life was rooted in the Serbian language and culture of her parents, but at age 3, her childhood was interrupted by a serious fall and ensuing spinal injury, which required a three-year hospitalization.

Although her parents visited her often, she was deprived of many of the joys of childhood, including playing with other children. Upon her release, she learned how to walk again, and was able to attend Hodge School in Cleveland. A vital part of her youth was the social life of the Serbian church, where she learned to dance the kolo and became inspired to learn the violin. Her parents earned a living in the industrial factories, thereby contributing to the World War II effort. In the same year that she was born, her parents lost their first-born child, a son named Vladimir, to a terrible accident. He was 4 years old.

After the war, her family moved to Los Angeles, where her father established a bar business.  She attended Hollywood High School, graduating in 1952, then attended Metropolitan Junior College, where she earned an associate degree in secretarial science in 1954. There, a particular accomplishment was being chosen “Miss Career Girl” by a board of business leaders. She went on to earn a business education degree from the University of Southern California in 1957. Not long after, she met and began dating William (Bill) Keith Guptill, whom she married in 1961.

They settled in Claremont. She taught business English, typing and Gregg shorthand at West Covina High School starting in 1963. In 1967, she and Bill had a daughter, Tanya Ann. She continued teaching until her 1977 retirement. She volunteered for numerous charities, including Pomona Valley Assistance League and the Webb Schools of Claremont.

Among her personal accomplishments, she played the violin, was an avid cook and homemaker, and remained bi-lingual in Serbian and English throughout her life. Mid-life, she engaged in new endeavors, such as learning to snow ski, to do step aerobics, and taking Serbian classes at USC to further her language skills. She and her husband enjoyed traveling together, heading to Europe and various parts of the U.S.

“Olga will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, an outstanding teacher, and an excellent cook and homemaker,” her family shared. “By friends and community, she will be remembered for her hospitality and charitable pursuits.”

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Keith Guptill; her brother, Vladimir Bulat;  and her parents.

She leaves to mourn her death her devoted daughter Tanya Guptill Brugh, son-in-law Timothy Brugh, and granddaughter Elena Grace Brugh of Irvine, California; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.