Themis G. (Poulos) Cramer

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Themis Poulos Cramer, on May 3rd, 2018 at the age of 95 after a long and fulfilling life. Guided by her conviction and passion for her Greek Orthodox faith along with her selfless devotion to others, Ms. Cramer leaves us with a legacy of exemplary stewardship and tireless service to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Atlanta.

Ms. Cramer’s life was dedicated to serving others and the many ways she offered of herself to the church have left a lasting impact for the benefit of future generations. Ms. Cramer was always willing to answer the call and respond to the needs of her parish, the Metropolis, the Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Known as “Big T” by her family, Ms. Cramer was born Themis Poulos in Atlanta on January 26, 1923. She was the first born of George and Helen Minis Poulos, immigrants from the village of Nedousa, near Kalamata in the Peloponnesian Peninsula of Greece. The family settled in a Victorian style “gingerbread” house on Capitol Avenue in Atlanta with brother, Aristides G. Poulos with other extended family and fellow Greek immigrants living in adjacent homes and nearby.

As a teenager, she often helped her father at the family-owned grill known as “George’s” where they met and served the wonderful people of the dynamic area surrounding Forsythe and Alabama Streets in downtown Atlanta. These experiences included many interesting stories with Ralph McGill, Jack Spalding, Celestine Sibley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and Richard Rich of the legendary department store, Rich’s.

Themis attended James L. Key “grammar” School, Hoke Smith Junior High, Girl’s High School, and Georgia State University where she studied language and Theatre Arts. As a life-long member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, she attended the Greek School and became fluent in the Greek language along with history, language, music and religion. She was forever grateful for this educational background, and especially for the Christian family environment and all the wholesome positive attributes this included. Preserving this for future generations became a life-long passion of Ms. Cramer.

In 1956, Ms. Cramer went to work for Southern Bell in Customer Service, and retired later after the “divestiture” as a marketing consultant for AT&T in 1987.

In 1982, Themis married Dr. Howard Cramer, the then Head of the Geology Department at Emory University. Together, they enjoyed travelling the world both privately as well as through Friendship Force International, a not-for profit that Ms. Cramer was dedicated to as it allowed opportunities to explore new countries and cultures from the inside ~ by bringing people together at the personal level through Hosting in home countries. Her cherished moments included a Honeymoon going down the Amazon River in a dugout canoe before going to the Galapagos islands. Spending time with family and hosting dinner parties with friends and family were the moments that she cherished most.

Themis was a Choir Member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral for over 75 years. She also enjoyed active memberships in the Annunciation Cathedral’s Daughters of Penelope and the Philoptochos Society. Outside of the Church, Themis was also active in the Georgia Council for International Visitors, the Emory University Women’s Club, and the Hellenic Women’s Cultural Association. Another passion of Themis was her love of visiting Cathedral “shut-ins”; making sure they were not forgotten.

For her service to her Greek Orthodox Faith, Themis was awarded the Metropolitan’s Choice for the Archangel Michael Award, the Apostle Andrew Protoklitos Award from the Patriarchate as well as the Medal of Saint Paul, the highest honor bestowed on laity by the Archdiocese.
Themis is survived by her husband, Howard Cramer, her brother and sister-in-law, Aristides and Mary Hickey Poulos, many cousins, nieces, and nephews in Greece, Canada and Australia, and treasured Godchildren, Katherine Poulos Papanikolopoulos, Sofia Yiatanaras, George Polychronopoulos, Melissa Perez, Mark Bridgers, Christopher Albrecht and Alexandra Kilpatrick.

The Trisagion Service will be held on Sunday, May 6th, at A.S. Turner and Sons, 2773 N. Decatur Road, Decatur, Georgia, 30033, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The Funeral will be held on Monday, May 7th, 2018 @ 12:00 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral located at 2500 Clairmont Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329. Internment will be at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, located @ 3000 Lawrenceville Highway Tucker, GA 30084.

A traditional “Makaria” Meal will be served at the Thalia N. Carlos Hellenic Community Center located at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral following the Internment.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions in honor of Themis to either: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral or the Philoptochos Society.

May Her Memory Be Eternal!