Lawrence (Larry) Poulakos

Lawrence (Larry) Poulakos

North Liberty

Lawrence (Larry) Poulakos fell asleep in the Lord on his birthday Saturday, August 31, 2024. He was born August 31, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Diamondis “Jim” Poulakos and Jane Filandrinos Poulakos. He graduated from Steinmetz High School in Chicago in 1960, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1964 and a PhD. in Radiation Research from the University of Iowa in 1972.

Larry did research at Allegany Memorial Hospital in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, at Frist-Massey Institute in Nashville, and at the Radiation Research Lab at the University of Iowa. Larry took a position as Assistant Professor of Biology at Kirkwood Community College. He was retired.

In 1984, he married Carolyn Dunn Foust in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a great fan of the Chicago sports teams, cheering on the White Sox, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks (but never the Cubs) no matter how many games they lost. He was also an ardent Hawkeye and Illini fan. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Cedar Rapids.

He was an amazing husband, brother, uncle and stepfather.

Larry is survived by his wife Carolyn of North Liberty, Iowa, his sisters Patricia Poulakos and Diane Poulakos Prais of Inverness, Illinois, his nieces Sarah Prais and Olivia Prais Papreck of Chicago, and his many cousins and friends.

Visitation will be held from 4 – 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Cedar Rapids, with a Trisagion service beginning at 7 p.m. The funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024, at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Cedar Rapids. Burial will follow at Linwood Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 501 A Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa or to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (lbda.org/donate)

Please share a memory of Larry at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.