Edward "Skip" Bulkley

Durham, NC – Edward “Skip” Bulkley passed peacefully on February 10, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. A 1958 graduate of Duke University, Skip returned to Durham, making his home at the American Tobacco Campus and delighting in the life of his alma mater, attending religious services and athletic events, enjoying walks through Duke’s campus, and pointing out his freshman dorm room on the main quad.

Skip was born in 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, to Doris (Palumbo) and Joel Bulkley. The eldest of four children, he was an accomplished student and athlete, excelling in baseball and football and briefly competing in equestrian sports. He enrolled at Duke University, where he pitched for the Blue Devils baseball team and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

In 1966, Skip met Helen Carroll in Boston. Following a brief courtship, they married and settled in Hudson, New Hampshire, where they purchased their first home and welcomed two daughters, Lynn (Solomon) and Paige (Deeley). Skip and Helen were deeply engaged in their daughters’ education, first at Presentation of Mary Academy in Hudson and later at Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Nashua. Their devotion to both schools was evident through years of service supporting athletics, fundraising initiatives, and leadership of parent/teacher organizations.

Skip founded several New Hampshire–based audio-visual companies, including New England Wholesale Supply in Nashua, Video Lab in Hudson, and View Communications in Manchester. With Helen’s constant support and acumen in operations management, Skip – among his many industry accomplishments – was a pioneer in distance learning, telemedicine and videoconferencing. His teams provided design/build solutions for health systems, universities, and corporations across New England. A lasting imprint of Skip’s entrepreneurial vision was the design-build headquarters for View Communications in Manchester’s historic mill district, where he was among the area’s early wave of developers.

Upon retiring from business in 2000, and seven years working locally in NH at Baker Hill Golf Course and Clarke’s Hardware, Skip and Helen moved from their longtime home in Newbury, New Hampshire, to New Bern, North Carolina. There, Skip embraced an active outdoor life, competing in tennis — and enjoying many rounds of golf with friends at The Emerald Golf Club. He also shared his business insight with Craven Community College’s Small Business Center, mentoring emerging entrepreneurs as they launched and grew their companies.

One of Skip’s greatest joys was his close relationship with his four grandchildren — Brooke, Jake, Rette, and Zack. He took great pride in following their athletic pursuits and personal interests, frequently traveling to support them at games, competitions, and events.

Skip’s lifelong gift for building community shone brightly in his final years in downtown Durham. He cherished friendships formed through Old Bull, the Durham Bulls, SEEDS, the Downtown Durham YMCA, Bull City Woodshop, and his beloved Duke University.

Skip is pre-deceased by his wife of 56 years, Helen, and sister, Lea (Bulkley) Bresciani, survived by his brother, Joel (Kasia) Bulkley, and sister Brooke (Bulkley) Packard, his daughters and their families, Lynn and Douglas Solomon and Paige and Mike Deeley; his grandchildren Brooke Solomon and Evan Vaughn, Jake Deeley, Rette Solomon, and Zack Deeley; and many dear friends.

A celebration of life will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church 3005 Country Club Rd, New Bern, NC 28562 on Friday, March 20th at 11:00am. Participants are welcome to gather briefly at the church at 10:15am before the ceremony to visit with family members and share memories. There can be no flower donations to the church due to Lenten restrictions. Donations, however, can be made to Bull City Woodshop, a Durham based center for students and adults interested in learning woodworking arts and sent to 1912 E Pettigrew St, Durham, NC 27703 Or Valor Horses for Heroes, which provides counseling and equine therapy to veterans at 1303 NC 306 Hwy S, Grantsboro, NC 28529. For more information or questions, please contact Skip’s daughter, Lynn at [email protected]