Gunta Douglas

GUNTA DOUGLAS (nee Circkelis) passed away on April 30, 2023 at the age of 89. She was the beloved wife for 48 years of Andrejs; dear mother of Julie Locke; daughter of the late Teofils and Fanija Circkelis; sister of the late Andris Circkelis (Adele); sister-in-law of Anna Kruza (Voldemars), Tabita Usis (Valdis) and brother-in-laws, Peteris and Janis Drobisevskis (both deceased).

Gunta was born in Latvia in 1933. During World War II many Latvian citizens became refugees due to the Russian Communist occupation. Her family was moved to several displaced persons camps, such as Camp Insula, in Germany. They came to the United States and eventually were settled in the Cleveland area. She remained part of the Latvian community and leaves behind many dear friends and relatives.

Gunta had a life-long passion for the fine arts, music and visual arts, in particular. She and her husband, Andrejs, spent many vacations on long trips to visit Latvian visual artists in their studios, to see and discuss their work, and choose the works of art they were going to purchase. Then with great excitement they would bring them back and plan their placement in their home. This was a great passion and deep love that Gunta had since her youth, stemming from her father's great enjoyment of the fine arts.

When Gunta accepted a job with the Lake Erie Girl Scout Council in 1961, she could not have imagined how much a part of her life this would become. She advanced from her beginnings as a Field Director, through many if her titles, to her final position as Assistant Executive Director. This position allowed her to work directly with the volunteers as they created and worked on various projects for the council. She had the unique ability to both let the volunteers know how very much she valued them and to direct them to do some incredible work. Gunta always felt that without the volunteers, there would be no program for the girls.

Gunta's Girl Scout involvement went from being a job spanning over 30 years to her continued role serving as a volunteer. After her retirement on 1994 to her last days with us, she always supported the Girl Scout program and worked along with other alumnae scouts on programs, projects and fundraising. Gunta often said that she wondered how her life would have turned out had she not accepted that Girl Scout job. So many of her volunteer friends became her "family" and lasted for the rest of her life, something she treasured most dear.

There will be a private burial at Sunset Memorial Park and a celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

Contributions in Gunta's memory may be made to:

Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, 1 Girl Scout Way, Macedonia, OH 44056

Vinney Hospice of Menorah Park, 1 David Myers Parkway, Beachwood, OH 44122

Hospice of the Western Reserve, 17876 St Clair Ave, Cleveland, OH 44110

ARRANGEMENTS BY FIORITTO FUNERAL SERVICE OF NORTHEAST OHIO  www.FiorittoFS.com