At age 99, Skaidrite “Skye” Gibietis left us on Sunday, August 23, 2026, peacefully at her home, surrounded by her twin daughters, Dinah and Edith. She was an inspiration to many, overcoming war, occupation, displacement, and resettling in the United States to establish a vast network of family and friends.

Skye was born in Stende, Latvia, on February 27, 1927, to Emma and Karlis Baumanis. She had an older brother, Bruno (Daina), who predeceased her. She married Edmund Gibietis on July 12, 1946, while in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Their first daughter, Andra, was born in Germany, followed by their son, Artis. In April 1950, the Gibietis family secured passage on a U.S. Army transport ship, the General Tyler, heading to the United States, having been sponsored by St. John’s Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Michigan. The church was instrumental in getting the family settled in housing and employment. The twins were born in 1954, after the family arrived in Michigan.

Skye’s pastimes included duplicate bridge, singing, and playing piano with her Latvian singing group. An avid member of the Latvian Lutheran Church and the Saginaw Latvian Club, she also worked as a clerical worker at Borden Dairy for 26 years. She was instrumental in caring for four grandchildren, Brittney, Alex, Max, and Jessica, from birth to school age, with help from her mother, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 101.

She was predeceased by her husband, Edmund, in 1985, and her son, Artis (Daina) Gibietis, in January 2026. Surviving are her daughters, Andra (Peter) Privert, Dinah (Charles) Kretschmer, and Edith (David) Sommers; eight grandchildren, Nick (Cassie) Gibietis, Mikel (Kayleen) Privert, Erik (Kate) Privert, Elli (Jay) Kaprosy, Brittney (Luke) Gray, Alex (Ginger) Kretschmer, Max Kretschmer, and Jessica (Andrew Vidulich) Sommers; and nine great-grandchildren, Bremer and Maija Kaprosy, Ellis and Zoey Skye Privert, Emory Gibietis, Lucas and Holden Privert, and Ina Skye and Oskar Kretschmer.

A funeral service will take place at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 4, 2026 at the W. L. Case and Company Funeral Directors, 4480 Mackinaw Rd.  Friends are welcome to visit with the family on Friday from 12:00 noon until the time of the funeral service.  Please share your words of condolence and memories of Skye with the family at www.casefuneralhome.com