Philomena A. Koulbanis

Philomena A. Koulbanis, beloved wife of the late James Koulbanis, passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at the Pendleton Health & Rehabilitation Center in Mystic, Conn.
She is survived by her brothers, Drs. Anthony and S. Paul Caputi; her sisters, Lina Farwell and Dr. Marie Caputi; her three sons, Richard, Jack and Paul Koulbanis; and her grandchildren, Casia, Chase, Carly and Cody.
Phil graduated from University of Rhode Island, and had her training as a dietician at Johns Hopkins University, where she learned about creating individual diet plans. She was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, stationed at Ft. Carson, Colo., Modesto, Calif. and at the Presidio in San Francisco, Calif.
Her professional career spanned almost 60 years. She taught at the Bradford School; managed food service at Butterfield Hall at URI; was on the faculty at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing; ran a successful private practice for more than 11 years; and for the last 20 years, before retiring at the age of 80, worked as a dietician at the Rhode Island Renal Institute in Westerly.
Phil was a wonderful mother and wife, a friend to all and mentor to many. She was an active member in the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for more than 63 years. She was a former Vice-Chairperson, and later Chairperson of the Consulting Nutritionists Dietetic Private Practice Group of the ADA. She was one of the few dietitians to operate a private practice in the 70s and 80s, at a time when most dietitians worked in institutional settings.
Phil loved to travel, and often visited her children and grandchildren in Maryland, New Jersey, California and Hawaii. She was also an avid Red Sox fan. She had season tickets for over 30 years, and went to as many Boston home games as her busy schedule would allow.
She will be greatly missed by all her family and many friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to either: the National Stroke Association, 9707 East Easter Lane, Centennial, CO 80112, or the American Heart Association, P.O. BOX 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.
There will be a memorial service at the Buckler Johnston Funeral Home, 121 Main St., Westerly, R.I., on Tuesday, July 29 at 1 p.m. For online condolences and shared memories, visit www.buckler-johnston.com.