Basil George Pouls
Basil George Pouls died peacefully at Genesis Healthcare in Albuquerque on November 22, 2017.
’Billy’ was born in Albuquerque on February 11,
1932 to parents Costandino ’Gus’ Pouls and Olga Darana Pouls. He attended Jefferson Middle School and went on to graduate from the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, having experienced the transition from horse cavalry to tanks.
After his graduation, he served in the Army Corps of Engineers and taught courses in physics and engineering science to personnel in San Francisco. His keen intelligence enabled him to pursue an advanced degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned his Master’s in Civil Engineering. With that training, he returned to Albuquerque and began work as a civil engineer. He also met and married Amfitriti Olga Ferendinos. Not long after, he founded his own engineering firm with partner Herbert G. Koogle. Under their leadership, Koogle and Pouls Engineering grew to become the premier aerial photogrammetry company in the Southwest. Basil treated his employees with respect, instituting profit sharing and a four-day workweek and earning their loyalty through his fairness and strong sense of ethics.
He had immense energy. In addition to running his engineering firm, he opened Khanssons, a gourmet Chinese restaurant in Corrales, with his wife and sister. He was an active member of the community, a lifelong member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, and proud Greek-American who served on the Church Board of Directors and in the AHEPA for many years.
Throughout his life, Basil helped those in need around him. Many will remember instances in which Basil heard about a promising young student without the means to buy books, or a father who could not afford to buy Christmas presents for his children, or an immigrant in need of assistance, all to whom Basil gave what he could, usually preferring anonymity in his acts of generosity. He was a mentor to many young people and enjoyed researching subjects ranging from cacti to art, animal behavior to psychology, history to religion. He loved learning.
In his later years, he volunteered his time in local nursing homes, brightening the lives of residents with his infectious laugh and irrepressible sense of humor.
He will be greatly missed by his family, including his beloved wife Olga; sister, Constance; his children Mary Ann and Charles; daughter-in-law Lisa, and his grandson Otto.
A Trisagion will be held Tuesday, November 28, 2017, 10 a.m., at St George Greek Orthodox Church with Funeral Service and reception to follow. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Please visit our online guestbook for Basil at www.FrenchFunerals.com