t Col William George “Bill” Poulos, USAF, Retired, born on September 16, 1917, in Jackson, Michigan, broke the surly bonds of earth and moved on to be with God on December 17, 2017. He lived 100 very full years.
Military
Bill served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II. He flew in B-29s in the China-Burma-India Theater as bombardier and navigator, and then set up one of the first schools in a new technology called radar. He served in the US Air Force Reserve for twenty-five years, retiring as Florida State Director of Education.
Life
As a general contractor in Ft. Lauderdale, Bill built many homes, apartment buildings, and strip centers. After selling his business, he joined the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, retiring as Executive Director of the Civil and Criminal Warrants Division. Bill served on many civic and nonprofit boards, was founder and president of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, and was Southeast US Regional Governor of the AHEPA Greek men’s organization, which he dearly loved.
Family
Bill was preceded in death by his son Thomas. He is survived by his wife of seventy-two years, Esther; son William, Jr. (Judith Ann), daughters Denise McCabe (Bernard), Cynthia Poulos, and Janet Hagan (Michael); and grandchildren Jennifer, Patrick, William III, Stephanie, and Michael.
Services
Viewing will be at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 409 Old Coachman Road, Clearwater, FL 33756, on Thursday, December 21, at 10:00 a.m., followed by church service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Ave., Bushnell, FL 33513, on Friday, December 22, at 11:00 a.m.
Special Acknowledgements
Donations may be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 409 Old Coachman Road, Clearwater, Florida 33760, or the Air Force Aid Society or the Suncoast Hospice Foundation, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760.
It was a blessing to know your George, and I pray he will rest in peace.
God bless, Fran Glaros
Brother Bill,
You will always be remembered by your AHEPA Family for your leadership, mentoring and support. Those of us who were blessed to know you will never forget your kindness and spirit. “May Your Memory Be Eternal”.
Brother Gus Pantelides
AHEPA District 2 Governor
Florida – the Bahamas – Puerto Rico
I had the opportunity to meet LTC. Poulos through his daughter Janet and son Bill Jr. He also picked my pocket on the golf course and it was a pleasure paying up when we finished. A real gentleman that will be sorely missed by his family and friends. It was a privilege knowing him.
Art Lambert
Wonderful person… Wonderful Family! Our thoughts & prayers are with you and your family.
TO THE FAMILY OF BROTHER BILL, HE WAS A TRUE GENTLEMAN AND BROTHER AHEPAN. HE WAS A MENTOR TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM AND FOLLOWED AFTER HIM IN THE ORDER OF AHEPA. IT WAS A BLESSING TO HAVE KNOWN HIM FOR THE MANY YEARS IN FLORIDA. MAY HIS LIFE AND LEGACY ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED. WITH SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY, MICHAEL M. PANTEL, PAST DISTRICT GOVERNOR, DISTRICT 2 FLORIDA.
Billy and Jann,
Our condolences in the loss of your Father. He was blessed to have a son like you who gave so much of your time, energy and love to make certain he lived the best life he could.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Connie and Charlie Brown
Billy,
Cherish those special moments with your Dad. He lived a very long and successful life! Your special bond helped carry him to live a long happy life!
May he now rest in peace.
Bob & Debbie
So sorry to hear the sad news. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
We are so happy that we shared the 100 year celebration with all of you.
Love to all…Susie & Dave
What an honor it was for me to serve as the Master of Ceremonies at Lt. Col Poulos 100th birthday party. Getting to know his children and grandchildren and all of us getting to love on him while he was healthy and happy is something I will never forget. I only wish I had met him earlier. My hopes are that his grandchildren decide to pick up his habits, his courage, his zest for family and life and that they will continue the work he has done on this earth. May the God of heaven be a blessing to his family.
Bill, I ran across this and I was shocked to see that
you lost your dad, I know how hard this must be for
the entire family,. Very sorry for
your loss. Marilyn