September 21 st , 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 5 th , 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 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.