Eric Bertil Kula, of Concord, formerly of Lexington, passed away peacefully on April 20, 2015, while surrounded by his family, after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. He was 85 years old. He was born on July 4th, 1929 in Harlem, New York City, the child of Eric N. Kula and Judith P. (Wennerstrand) Kula. He was awarded his Bachelor, Master and Doctorate of Science in Metallurgy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his doctoral thesis in 1954 on the study of "Grain Growth in High Speed Steel." Eric worked at both Domnarvet Iron Works in Borlange, Sweden, and at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. It was in Sweden that he met his future wife, Gulli I. Ahs. She immigrated to the United States in 1951, and married Eric three days later on Jan 28, 1951. He began work at the Ford Motor Co. in Detroit, MI. He then served in the Army and was eventually placed at the Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center (Army Materials Technology Laboratory) in Watertown, MA. He continued as a civilian employee, serving almost forty years with the Army. His ongoing metallurgical research led to numerous technical publications. He served on several national committees and international panels, and was regarded as the Army's leading expert on the metallurgy of high strength steels. Through his career he held various positions from Metals Branch Chief to Associate Laboratory Director. During his 52 years living in Lexington, MA, Eric served as a town meeting member, and as an election official. He was an active member of SARA, the Swedish Ancestry Research Association. He studied both linguistics and genealogy, and was an avid bridge player and voracious reader. He was a supporter of the Arts, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Baroque Orchestra. He traveled widely through the world, including many trips to Sweden, Europe, Central and South America and Africa. Eric is preceded in death by his parents Eric N. Kula and Judith P. (Wennerstrand) Kula, and his wife of 63 years, Gulli I. Kula. He is survived by his children Judy Walklet and Lars Kula, his brother-in-law Leif Ahs, son-in-law Jack Walklet, and grandchildren Miles and Nicole Kula and Johanna, Sophia, Lara, Benji and Merav Walklet. He is remembered by his many close friends. A visitation will be held on Sunday, April 26, from 2 – 4 PM at the Dee Funeral Home in Concord. A memorial service is planned for the summer, and interment will be at Silvberg Church, in Grangshammar, Sweden in the summer of 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Eric's name to the Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts Chapter, 480 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472-2407 or online at www.alz.org\donate. Arrangements under the care of Dee Funeral Home of Concord, Susan M. Dee and Charles W. Dee, Jr., Funeral Directors.