Phyllis Yambos died peacefully Jan. 18, 2018 one month shy of her 100th birthday, after a short battle with influenza.
Eryphili Psiropoulos was born in the mountain village of Deskati, Greece, one of 16 children. In 1936 the family moved to Athens, where Eryphili was employed as a skilled seamstress. Her work was often solicited by the Greek Royal Family where her brother John served as an attendant to King George II. After surviving the brutal four year occupation of Greece by Nazi troops, she made her way to America as part of a cadre of women contracted to care and support severely wounded Greek soldiers under the Marshall Plan.
While in New York she met her husband-to-be, Argy Yambos, who was at the time involved with the Greek War Relief. After marriage, Phyllis and Argy moved to Portland where he was employed as a Greek School teacher and Chanter at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. She busied herself raising her two children and supporting her husband at the family’s grocery stores. Her husband Argy passed away in 1979. Phyllis was an active member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox community and Portland’s annual Greek Festival. She was a longtime member of the church choir, a past president of the Philoptochos Society and a member of the Daughters of Penelope.
Phyllis will be remembered as a devoted wife and a loving mother, whose affection for her family often found its highest form of expression in her kitchen and at the dining room table.
Phyllis is survived by one sibling, her brother, Dimitrios Psiropoulos of Athens, Greece; her daughter, Maria Lita Pratt (Jeff) of Damascus; son, Orestes Yambouranis (Dana) of Buderim, Australia; and granddaughter, Sophia Ana.
The family would like to express their gratitude to her long-time caregiver and family friend, Monica Reed-Harrison, for nearly a decade of loving assistance. The family would also like to express their gratitude to the caregivers at Sinai In-Home Services, as well as to Adventist Hospital and Hospice and Portland Health and Rehabilitation Center, for their kind and compassionate end of life care.
At Phyllis’ request, an interment was held in lieu of a church service. A private celebration of life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Store To Door of Oregon (www.storetodooroforegon.org), or to Columbia Land Trust (www.columbialandtrust.org).

Facts Born: February 22, 1918
Death: January 18, 2018