Dr. Tesfaye Bullo Gutema was born on April 7, 1964 in Bishoftu, Shewa, Ethiopia. He was the eldest son of Basha Bullo Guttema and Mrs. Gadisse Ebssa. He attended Ketta Elementary School and Princess Tenagnwork Secondary School and passed his High School Leaving Examination with the highest honor. Dr. Tesfaye attended Addis Ababa University and received his B.Sc and Masters degree in Civil Engineering with great distinction. Dr. Tesfaye received a scholarship to study in Germany and received his Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the Univeristy of Kassel.
Dr. Tesfaye moved to the United States in 2003 and settled first in Los Angeles and since 2010 until his last days, he and his family lived quietly in Falls Church, Virginia. Dr. Tesfaye has worked as a Structural Engineer for the Department of Labor and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Dr. Tesfaye died of Cancer on July 26, 2013 at the Virginia Hospital Center surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife of twenty years, Mestawot Kebede and two daughters, Elizabeth and Lydia of Falls Church, Virginia. He is further survived by his parents and two brothers, Teshome Bullo and Getachew Bullo of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, and other relatives. His funeral service will be held Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 10:00am at Sacramento Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Grove Street followed by internment at Hilltop Cemetery.