Bertha Poulos Spencer

Bertha Poulos Spencer

On September 21st, 2021 Bertha Poulos Spencer passed peacefully from this life at Evelyn's House hospice care in Creve Coeur, Missouri. She was 96.

Bertha, known to all as Bert, was born on May 5th, 1925 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was the oldest daughter of Evangelo Poulos, a successful local businessman, and his wife Thalia, and had two siblings; William Jr, her older brother, and Tula, her younger sister. In 1933, Thalia died and Evangelo remarried a young woman from Greece, Niki Michael. Anxious to visit her family, Niki took the children with her to the Pelopponese region in 1938, where they remained briefly before World War II threatened to spread to Greece. Angelo came to get them, and after a harrowing train journey across Europe, the family was able to return to the United States from France on the last sailing of Normandy before it was turned into a warship.

Back in Ann Arbor, Bert attended the University of Michigan for several years before leaving for New York to pursue a career in fashion. She attended the Fashion Institute in Manhattan and modeled for Vogue and other magazines. In the 1950's, she moved to Detroit, where she worked for United Airlines as their liaison for Hawaiian tourism. She took advantage of the company's travel policies to travel widely, and among other things was in Monaco during the wedding of Princess Grace in 1956. In 1957 she met Herbert Spencer, a young businessman; they married in 1958 and moved to New York City.

The couple's first child, William, was born in 1960, and Susan followed in 1962. They moved from their apartment in Brooklyn Heights to Morrisville, PA, where Herb worked for McGraw-Hill. In 1967 Herb accepted a job offer from the American Chemical Society in Washington DC, and the family moved to Bethesda, MD.

Herb died of a sudden heart attack in 1971, and Bert rebounded by becoming a realtor. She was particularly enthusiastic about finding affordable homes for young families and remained close with many she helped. She worked for a number of agencies before joining Long and Foster, where she remained until she retired at the age of 88.

Bert was for many years a devoted parishioner at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church before transferring to the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. She sang in the choir in both churches and was an avid fan of all types of music, particularly choral music. Concerned with helping those less fortunate, Bert was extremely devoted to social outreach at home and abroad. She worked tirelessly with So Others Might Eat (SOME) and Samaritan Ministries in Washington DC. She remained active in both the church and aid projects well into her 90's.

Those who knew her well remember her devotion to her family and neighbors, her spirituality and passion for music, her love of nature, and her boundless energy in all things. Her friends and neighbors will remember her as an enthusiastic hostess and could look forward to a beautiful plate of cookies delivered to their door each Christmas. She is survived by her children Bill and Susan, her grandchildren Michael, Sam, and Hannah, her nieces Julie and Lisa, and extended family. Her ashes will be placed in Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband's. In lieu of flowers, please send a small donation to any environmental cause.