Michael A. Koulopoulos' Obituary
Michael was born in Lagathia Greece, a tiny village nestled into the mountains of the Peloponnese. Michael grew up in Athens during World War II, as the first born of four children. From an early age he had a penchant for engineering and mathematics. At 14, he was hired by Greek telecom and power utilities to help them calculate and uncover breaks in underwater cables.
He served in the Greek navy as a lieutenant; he later joined the merchant marine, where he traveled the world as a chief engineer. On one fateful voyage his ship caught fire en route to New York. After evacuating his crew, he succumbed to smoke inhalation and was taken to a Long Island hospital where Maria, who he had met in Athens as her English tutor, was visiting relatives. She stayed by his bedside until he recovered, they were married soon after and settled in the Boston area where they raised their two sons.
Michael studied engineering at the university in Athens and received his Master in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. He held seven patents and had a long and distinguished career in a variety of technical fields. He worked on some of the earliest digital computers at Honeywell and Digital Equipment corporation, and then went on to develop many groundbreaking medical technologies, including one of the first cardiac telemetry systems, early CAT scanners, and devices for electrophoresis. He passed his love of technology to his sons. Towards the end of his career he founded and was president of VIMAK Corporation, which developed revolutionary analog to digital audio components for high end audiophiles for which he won numerous awards and held multiple patents.
He was very involved with the Greek Orthodox Church in Andover, helping the church move from Lawrence to Andover. An avid woodworker and constant tinkerer. It was a bit of a joke that if Mike couldn’t fix it, then it likely wasn’t fixable—in his own words, “Nothing is impossible, some things just take a little longer to accomplish than others.”
Together he and his wife, Maria traveled extensively to Europe and Asia. He retired in the late 1990s and he and Maria spent much of their time going to Greece until she fell ill. He dedicated his life to caring for her at home for ten years until her passing.
He is remembered by all who knew him as a brilliant man of great passion, energy, philanthropy, and generosity, who was always willing to help.
Michael is survived by his two sons, Thomas and Nicholas; five grandchildren, Michael, Mia, Sam, Adam, and Olivia; his daughter-in- law, Moira; his sister, Giota; his nephew, Marios; and niece, Maria. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Maria; his brothers, Andreas and Costas; and his parents, Maria and Anastasios.
Family and friends are invited to honor and celebrate Michael's life by gathering for calling hours at Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence Street in Methuen on Friday, January 26, 2024, from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. His funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 71 Chandler Road in Andover. Burial will follow at West Parish Cemetery, 129 Reservation Rd, Andover. In place of flowers, the family asks that you kindly consider a donation in his name to a charity of your choice that focuses on dementia research. For directions and online guestbook, please visit the funeral home website, www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to serve the Koulopoulos Family.
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