Obituary of Nelda J Poulos

On November 21, 2020, cherished and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, Nelda Poulos passed peacefully into the everlasting and eternal arms of our Heavenly Father, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. She was almost 100 glorious years young! Born in the farm country of southeast Kansas, one of the eight children of Archie and Hazel, Nelda grew up knowing the meaning of hard work, the importance of biblical foundations and the love of Jesus Christ our Savior, the plight of farmers as well as the struggles & challenges of life during the depression. She played the big bass drum in her high school’s drum and bugle corp, won singing competitions and worked alongside her family on the farm. After high school she followed her oldest brother to Chicago to find work & help support her family and lessen their financial burden - working at Sunbeam, Illinois Bell Telephone, and Mars. Through mutual friends she met, fell in love with and married Sam Poulos. A longtime resident of Northbrook, Nelda was the maternal pillar of strength of the Poulos family. Her unwavering conviction, Christian foundational values, love for her family, compassion for others, humble upbringing and humility, feisty character and sense of humor permeated every aspect of her full life. She found joy in life, in her children, grandchildren, great grandchild and all their respective activities. She loved to travel and to explore this great nation’s treasures and National Parks, she was an avid reader, history & sports buff, and was occasionally seen in the bleachers at Wrigley Field. She volunteered during Northbrook Days and served as Sunday School teacher at church. She actively supported local youth, although she much preferred staying behind the scenes usually preparing food, mending and washing uniforms or helping raise funds for skating club and school baseball or football functions, as well as spearheading efforts to gather items to anonymously provide food and/or gift baskets for anyone in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She retired after working for thirty years at what was originally the 1st National Bank of Deerfield, but found retirement boring, so she worked another 12 years at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She developed close friendships with many of her colleagues and those whom she mentored and looked forward to keeping in touch with so many! She really enjoyed driving her little red convertible, riding her adult 3-wheel bike, spending time with family and friends, doing crossword puzzles, reading a good book - especially her Bible, beating the contestants on Jeopardy, gardening, traveling with her children and grandchildren, and of course, football! She was so proud of her children and grandchildren & their accomplishments - she was their biggest fan and loved them selflessly! And she was so thrilled to have recently become a great grandmother! She was a precious gift and it was a blessing and privilege for us to be her family! Preceded in death by her husband of 75 years, her parents, and all 7 of her siblings, she is survived by her loving and devoted children, grandchildren, great grandchild, many other relatives, nieces and nephews, as well as her cherished friendships from all across the world including those she held dearest from her childhood friends to her banking lunch bunch and colleagues from the garden. Due to the covid pandemic, a Memorial celebrating Nelda’s life will be scheduled at a later date. See Kolssak Funeral Home website for updated information. www.funerals.pro<http://www.funerals.pro> or Facebook. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests any donations in Nelda’s honor be made to the Ted Hendricks Foundation, POB 7470, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, www.tedhendricks.com The family would especially like to thank dear Maria for her loving companionship over the last years, Dr. Mark Rudberg and Dr. Ian Cohen for the respect and truly incomparable attentive medical care they gave over the past five years, and nurse Daryl for her compassion in the last days and hours. May God continue to bless you all. Good night...our precious Mom & Grama... ‘til we meet again. Psalms 23, 121; 1 Cor. 25; 1 Thess. 4 (KJV).