Lev Bulkovshteyn

Lev Bulkovshteyn of Lexington, MA passed away on Sunday August 13th 2023 at the age of 83. He was born on 3/5/1940 in Gomel, Belarus and was the youngest of 5 brothers. He met his loving and devoted wife Nadya Bulkovshteyn (nee Slutskaya) when they were 15 years old and he instantly fell in love. They married after university and shared 60 wonderful years together. He is also survived by his brother Abram Bulkovshteyn.

Nadya and Lev made the brave decision to leave the USSR and immigrated to Montréal, Canada in 1980 with their children Anna Bulkovshteyn (Daniel Graña) and Tanya Bulkovshteyn (Alexander Shvarts deceased, Robert Thurston). They built a new life in Montréal learning English and mediocre French, surrounded by extended family and a large community of Soviet Jews. Since both daughters eventually settled in Boston, Nadya and Lev followed them in 2010 and enjoyed their retirement years in the United States, surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Part of a close-knit family, Lev was also close to his extended family who immigrated from the USSR to Canada and the US.

Lev took his life as a grandfather and great-grandfather very seriously and was always available to help babysit, drive the kids despite his navigational challenges, and played with them whenever he got the chance, usually accompanied by his wife Nadya. His eyes lit up when he spent time with Sammy (Claire Malfroy Camine), Emily, Chloe; Maya, Alicia, Sofia; Violet; and his great-grandkids Leo and Misha.

Lev also took great pride in his career as a professional structural engineer living and working in Minsk, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver and Indonesia. He did not fully retire until he was 74 years old and missed his days solving problems. The hydro-electric power plants, buildings and bridges he built all over the world are his living professional legacy. Recently Lev memorialized his life’s work and created a website for future engineers: https://www.levbdesign-hydro.com/

Services will be held at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 1668 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA on Tuesday August 15th at 1:30PM followed by the burial at Beth El Cemetery in West Roxbury, MA. Shiva details to follow.