Tassie Portulas

Tassie Poulos Portulas, 90, a life-long resident of Atlanta, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving daughters on Wed., May 24, 2017 after a long illness. Tassie was born on November 6, 1926, the daughter of Greek immigrants, and grew up in the downtown Pryor Street/Central Avenue area of Atlanta in a neighborhood comprised of mostly Greek and Jewish families. She attended business prep. Commercial High School, during which time she was recruited for government jobs and worked for both the FDA and the US Corps of Engineers. During this World War II period, Tassie contributed by writing letters to approximately 40 US servicemen. After graduation Tassie attended Georgia State University for a couple of years as a journalism major but left school to work full time with the government and help with family finances. In the 1960s Tassie went to work for her beloved Greek Orthodox Church as one of its secretaries and for many years would serve the Church in numerous capacities, including Sunday School teacher and philanthropic club member (Parthenon Sorority President, Philoptochos Society President & Daughters of Penelope member). In 1974 Tassie was on the Steering Committee of the first Atlanta Greek Festival and served as its coordinator and publicity chairman for many years. She also chaired many of the Church’s musical and comedy shows and served on the Church’s Archives Committee as its senior advisor. In the late 1970s Tassie went to work for the new Atlanta Hilton Hotel, assisting both the construction project manager and the finance manager. In the mid 1980s Tassie received a Certificate of Merit from Mayor Andrew Young and was chosen as a “Woman of the Week” by the DeKalb News Sun newspaper for her contributions to both the local and Greek communities. A few years later she returned to government work with the infectious diseases branch of the CDC, from which she retired in 1990. Tassie loved music, singing, dancing, drawing, playing her guitar & keyboards, and entertaining friends and family. She is survived by her daughters Stasi Portulas and Vicki Portulas of Atlanta, sister Lula Poulos, brother Pete Poulos and sister-in-law Eilleen Paris Poulos, all of Atlanta, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins in the US, Canada and Greece. She will be greatly missed by all and remembered for her great love of family, faith and friends. Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 28, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at AS Turner & Sons, 2773 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA, followed by a prayer service and family eulogies in the Chapel at 7:00 pm. The funeral will be held on Tues., May 30 at 11:00 am at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, 2500 Clairmont Rd., Atlanta, GA, with Rev. Paul Kaplanis officiating; interment to follow at Floral Hills Memory Gardens, Tucker, GA . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral Benevolent Fund. A . S. Turner and
Sons Funeral Home and Crematory.