Maris Gultnieks

Maris Gultnieks died on Oct. 19, 2025, in his sleep while sitting in his favorite leather chair. He was 86. It was a peaceful end for a very rough early childhood. Maris was born in Riga, Latvia. He was an only child. When he was 4, his family had to flee from Latvia to Dresden, Germany, where they knew a family and lived with them until the British bombed Dresden. A bomb fell into the house where they were staying, and he and his mother were forced to run and stand in a stream at the base of a park with fireballs passing over their heads. Maris was forced to see things no 4-year-old should ever see and suffered from PTSD because of it. After the bombing, he and his reunited parents were refugees and walked for several days before they were able to be granted access to the American side of pre-postwar Germany, where they lived for 5 years in a DP camp before landing in Asbury Park, NJ. Maris spoke no English when he arrived, but he excelled in school and eventually earned a BA in Engineering from Fairleigh Dickerson University. Maris met and married a Latvian beauty, Liliana Bernhards, and they had two children, Katie and Matthew.

Maris worked for Bendex and EAI before becoming a government employee. From the early 1980s to the early 2000s, Maris worked at the Naval Air Systems Command as the Section Head for the Aircraft Weapons Loading and Aircraft Handling & Servicing Support Equipment areas in the AIR-552 Support Equipment Division, which later became the PMA260 Aviation Support Equipment Program Office. Under his leadership, his procurement teams delivered a multitude of equipment enabling generations of USMC and Navy maintainers to safely and effectively arm, maintain, and service respective aircraft. He was responsible for a crash dolly that is essential on all aircraft carriers. From the early 2000s, Manis was a government contractor working for several different contractors.

He loved to plan his meetings in cities that were having special events, such as the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. His favorite city to visit for work was San Diego. When a team facilitator was part of the meeting, they asked various questions about things people had done with Maris. When they asked how many people had had a shot of VSOP with a lemon dipped in sugar, the majority of people sat down. He often called himself Detroit Moe and was always known for so much fun. His favorite song with Midnight Hour, and at any place that had a band or DJ, he would request it. He was loud, fun, and a true character,

He was preceded in death by both of his parents, Peter and Zinaida Gultnieks, and his wife, Liliana. He is survived by M. Jane Johnson, his partner of 33 years, Fairfax, VA; Katie Gultnieks Bell, Demorest, GA; and Matt Gultnieks, Nolesville, TN, and three grandchildren, Lily Bell, Josh, and Gigi Gultnieks. The world will be a quieter place without his big, booming personality in it.