Ismini Poulos

She is preceded in death by her daughter, Joy Benetti and survived by her sons, Milton Poulos and Tony Poulos, and by her grandson, Alex Poulos.

Ismini lived in San Francisco, Daly City, Santa Clara, and was a long time resident of Willow Glen (San Jose). Fiercely independent, she lived on her own for more than 40 years before moving to Morgan Hill in 2018.

In her younger days, Ismini worked as a designer in the finest department stores in San Francisco. She attended the College of San Mateo, and was a talented painter and a highly creative decorator. Landscapes (many of Greece and San Francisco) and flowers were favorite subjects for her paintings. An avid gardener and houseplant aficionado, she loved all things green and they loved her back.

Ismini was an expert seamstress who made many of her own clothes, and she was a prolific, extremely fast and precise knitter. People had a hard time believing her work wasn’t done by machine. And she was generous with baby blankets!

She was a fine cook (spanakopita and baklava were among her specialties) and a wonderful host, always setting an elaborate holiday table–and, no matter the occasion, even just lunch on an ordinary day, in the middle, there would unfailingly be a huge vase of perfectly arranged flowers and branches she had cut from her yard.

A music lover, her favorites were Gordon Lightfoot, Simon and Garfunkel, and Elvis. Interested in art history, geography, nature, the ocean and the universe (she loved Cosmos with Carl Sagan), she greatly enjoyed NOVA and other PBS programs, watched all of the holiday shows, and was especially pleased when they included fireworks. Her vast knowledge and incredible memory made her the trivia queen. Sometimes, to other players chagrin, she’d answer the question before the question had been completed.

Her bumper sticker read, “Living well is the best revenge!” and, she said her children were her greatest achievement.

The family would like to thank the entire staff at Loma Clara Assisted Living in Morgan Hill for all of their help and kindness.

If you would like to plant trees in Ismini’s honor, you can go to:

https://shop.arborday.org/commemorative-trees-for-others?producttype=TIM