Obituary: Aris Poulos, 85, of Wilton

Information and Photo Courtesy Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home

WILTON, CT — Aris Poulos, 85, of Wilton, and formerly of Stamford and Greenwich, died peacefully at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk on Monday, February 11th due to longterm complications with advanced Parkinson's. He formerly worked for Siemens Electronics, GT Corp, and retired from Foroxx Industries in 1999.

Aris Poulos is survived by his wife of 49 years, Margaret Benn Poulos, his son and daughter in-law James A. and Carrie Ullrich Poulos of Danbury, and two grandchildren, David and Brian Poulos. He is also survived by his sister, Georgia Papageorgakopoulou of Meligalas, Messenias, Greece and his close first cousin, Aris Arapostathis of Austin, Texas, and extended family in Greece. Aris was the son of the late Vassiliki (Victoria) Papageorgakopoulou and Dimitrios (James) Papageorgakopoulos of Athens and Messenia, Greece.

Aris was born in Meligalas, Messenias, Greece in 1933. He completed his electrical engineering degree and studies for an electronics career at the National Technical University of Athens, after completing his military service in the Greek armed forces.

Aris was offered his first post university position at Siemens Electronics branches in Brazil, where he lived and worked from the 1950's through the 1960's. After coming to the United States and accepting a position for GT Corp, Aris decided to stay and made the decision to formally become a U.S. citizen

.While at GT Corp, Aris was recruited as part of a major set of teams from the company for NASA, to work on different electronics components of the Hubble Observatory, which was the world's first major optical telescope to be stationed in space and eventually placed into space in 1990.

Even with the life he built with his wife, Margaret, Aris had a devastating and traumatic upbringing as he had lived through and had grown up under the Third Reich invasion and occupation of Greece, along with its Axis partners, Italy, and Bulgaria, during the Second World War. He also lived through the subsequent Greek Civil War, from 1946-49.

Aris' accomplishments in his attaining his university education and emigrating abroad to work for different companies in different countries, form bonds of strong friendships for life with many, become a U.S. citizen, work on Hubble, and have a family were testaments to his desire in the rebuilding of his life from those early childhood and teenage years.

Aris was a devoted attendant and member of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels, in Stamford and a longstanding member of the Greek-American AHEPA society. He loved to travel internationally with his wife and son, as well as with close friends abroad. He was a good and loyal friend to many. He will be sorely missed by his family, Church, and his larger communities and extended family both in the United States and abroad.

Visitation for family and friends will be held on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Ave., Stamford, CT, (203) 459-9999. A Trisagion Service will be held during the visitation. Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 a.m.at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels, 1527 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT. Interment to follow along with Trisagion at Hillside Cemetery, 165 Ridgefield Road, in Wilton, CT. A private luncheon reception will follow the service for immediate family and close friends only at 2:00 p.m. at Madonia Restaurant & Bar, 1297 Long Ridge Road, in Stamford, CT.

Memorial contributions may be made to , 111 West 33rd Street, New York, NY 10120, or . To extend a personal message to the family, please visit www.gallagherfuneralhome.com.