Steven Gust Tripodes was born August 22, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio to Gust Peter Tripodes and Sophia Horaites Tripodes. He was the youngest of three siblings, the others being Peter G. Tripodes and Vivian Pastis. He passed away at the age of 87 after an extended period of weakness following a pacemaker surgery in August 2019, and leg procedures in November and December 2019.

Growing up, he had fond memories of his father taking the family to Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland, Ohio. He was entrepreneurial, and in 6th grade Junior High School he bought all the penny candy at the Cleveland Arcade mall, and then sold it at school for 25 cents each. He also used to buy candy bars for a nickel and sell them for a dime. In the 8th grade, he played one year of Junior High School football, playing defensive end. The other boys were bigger and more developed, so he didn't continue.

Gust Tripodes had heard that California was a beautiful state that looked much like Greece. After World War II, he went on a trip to California with his brothers and brother-in-law. They thought California was the promised land, and returned home planning to move to California. On September 6, 1946 they moved to California, settling in Monterey Park.

He had just turned 14 when his parents had him spend the last few days of August at the Katsaros' home, and of course it was great fun for him. He recalled that his folks wanted him out of the way as they streamlined their belongings, to reduce the volume and cost of moving. Otherwise he would have put up a big fight to keep his massive comic book collection, which included early or first edition Batman, Superman, and Captain Marvel, among others such as Bulletman and Spiderman. He also had a great collection of marbles. He often said old comic books were valuable because mothers across America had thrown them out.

Steve graduated from Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California in 1950, and from UCLA in 1954, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

On June 24, 1954 he was initiated into the Pasadena chapter of the Order of AHEPA at the District Convention in Pasadena, along with John Berdanis of the Neptune chapter, San Pedro, and his brother Peter G. Tripodes. Olympian Pete Clentzos was the Master of Ceremonies at the Convention Banquet. District Governor Nick Angelos initiated them on his last day as governor.

He was accepted to Loyola Law School, but when he looked at the curriculum, he said he liked the idea of being a lawyer better than actually being one.

He was in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956 and stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was a corporal in his company's supply group. In 1954 you could not get a job without proof of satisfactory military service, so he volunteered to be drafted. Although he wanted the best job as a mail driver, his friend and roommate John Wise got it. He was assigned as chief supply clerk, which was the second best job you could get. He was assigned this duty because he could type. His old chess friend Larry Bowen from Pasadena City College was in intelligence because he spoke German. He connected with Larry in Germany by coincidence while waiting for new glasses. They went to Oktoberfest in Munich, and played roulette at the casino there. Tents covered thousands of barrels as tall as the room. Strong waitresses held 4 liters of beer per hand. Everyone locked arms and was singing songs.

In December 1955, his father Gust Tripodes at the age of 54 visited him in Stuttgart, Germany. He was coming back from Ikaria. Steve enjoyed the army in retrospect. He owned a 1948 Indian motorcycle in Germany, but had no way of bringing it home. He paid $10 for it, and sold it for $2.50. While in Germany, some movers asked him and a bunch of American soldiers to help them move a piano. They loved the idea of the challenge, and he and a group of them moved a piano up a floor or two. He was in the best shape of his life in the army, and once did 600 sit ups in the 5th floor weight room.

He met his wife, Georgia Poulos, at the Hollywood Daughters of Penelope Melita chapter's annual swim party in San Gabriel in 1957, and they were married in 1959. Georgia was a past President of Melita. He had a green 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air that he got in 1956 or 1957 when he was dating his future wife Georgia. He paid $800 for it and nicknamed it Bert. He and his wife Georgia would love to go to restaurants in Hollywood like Kowloon Chinese restaurant just east of La Cienega.

On November 8, 1959, Steve and Georgia were married. They were married at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Granada Hills, California by Father Pandelis, who later became the priest in Hawaii. The wedding reception was at a local hall. The food was cooked and sliced by the family, Gust and Cleo Poulos, Georgia, Tony and Mary Poulos, and Gus and Bess Javaras. Then they went home and got cleaned up! The wine was made by his Grandfather Stelios Horaites. It was his best wine, and was like brandy. They drank great quantities, and in the wedding pictures it looks like all the bridesmaids are tipsy. The band was a wedding present from his friend John Santulis, a great violinist. A good friend of his, Steve Rose, a great tenor, sang at least one song.

Also in 1959, Steve went to work with the Richfield Oil Corp. in Los Angeles in the credit department. Richfield was later merged into Atlantic Richfield Company. He was promoted first to Supervisor, and subsequently to managing wholesale credit covering a large portion of Southern California. Steve then was promoted to Senior Credit Analyst in the Treasury Department. From there he became Manager of Capital Stock Records for investors, where they kept 250,000 shareholder records and paid $760 million in annual dividends and provided all tax information. During this time he enrolled in the graduate program at USC, attending at night, and received his MBA in Finance and Business Economics in 1982. He retired in 1985 from Atlantic Richfield, and then continued his career at Security Pacific National Bank as Assistant Vice President, after which he became Vice President at State Street Bank and Trust.

He quit smoking on September 4, 1970 shortly after he moved into his new house. He wanted to stay healthy for his son and family.

Steve's AHEPA family included his son, both grandparents, father, father-in-law, and all of his uncles, all of whom were AHEPANS. His wife, mother, and all of his aunts were Daughters of Penelope. He became President of Rose Bowl Chapter #373 in Pasadena in 1959, and has been President for about 30 years.

He had been very active in the AHEPA since his initiation, and attended some 60 District Conventions and Conferences, and many Supreme Conventions. Steve was a two term Supreme Governor, a member of the Board of Directors for three terms, and a member of the Board of Trustees for three years including Secretary of the Board. He was also District 20 Governor.

Steve had been the Chairman of District 20's Standing Bylaws Committee since 1998 until his passing. He had been Convention City Chairman and Convention Chairman many times, and Conference City Chairman twice. He had twice been selected as District AHEPAN of the Year. In the Rose Bowl chapter, he has been Chairman of essentially every Glendi and Christmas Dinner, and AHEPA Day at the Races Chairman for many years. He assisted in fund raising for the AHEPA Float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and the Olympic Statue in Atlanta, Georgia, on the 75th anniversary of the Order of AHEPA. On June 11, 2011 he was honored with AHEPA District 20's Periclean Award, given to members of great character, who are supporters of our community, our churches, and our Greek-American families.

He was a Parish Council member of Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in Pasadena for three years. He was Chairman of the Palm Sunday Lenten Luncheon over 20 years. He worked at the Entrance Gate at the Pasadena Greek Festival for 40 years with fellow AHEPANS, the last 18 years being chairman until a foot surgery in 2015 required him to pass the role to fellow AHEPAN James Pappas. He chaired general assemblies and was a frequent member of the church audit committee. He was a member of the church's Pentahiliariko fund raising event for over 25 years, and was a past Chairman. He was proud that the Pasadena AHEPA paid for the main church board meeting room in the old hall. He said they donated $2,000 for the entire room, but to put it in perspective, it was at a time when a house could cost $10,000.

He enjoyed the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood and all things related to Icarian family history. He was a long time member of the Oinoe Chapter's investment committee along with James Bornino and Nikitas Tripodes. He loved genealogy and connecting with Greek people and philhellenes everywhere.

He loved the holidays, especially Christmas, and did not want the decorations taken down until well into the new year. In later years, he looked forward to Thanksgiving at John and Pam Buzas home, and Christmas dinner at the Horaites family home.

He loved people and parties, and always was most happy when family and friends came over to visit him at his home. He loved Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl, and was watching the new XFL football league to the very end. He also loved the Dodgers, Rams, USC Football, and UCLA Basketball.

He loved going out to eat at his favorite restaurants, from an annual trip to Fogo de Chao in Beverly Hills, to Gordon Biersch (where he would go for Father's Day), Maria's Kitchen (where he celebrated his last birthday), Colonial Kitchen (with the Saturday breakfast crew), Beckham Grill, North Woods Inn, Margaritas, Souplantation, Cold Stone Ice Cream, Greek owned fast food restaurants, In-N-Out, and Del Taco with their chicken soft tacos. He loved Costco's $5 chickens, and was expert at carving the meat in slices like a turkey, creating visually appealing platters of chicken. Ice cream was his favorite food, and he loved anything chocolate, especially an extra thick chocolate milk shake. His last meal was a Lucky Boys cheeseburger and chocolate milk shake.

He loved cats, especially his last cat Rambo who was skittish and only seemed comfortable around him. He spoke about the cats he had his whole life, from Cleveland to date.

He loved his garden house in San Marino, and as he would look in the back yard through the family room windows. He would say "this is Tripodes Park." He said his sister-in-law Paula Tripodes loved the phrase. Avocados and lemons were growing, and sometimes orchids were blooming. He enjoyed pruning his trees until his sixties, climbing the ladder and using extension pole saws until he passed that task on to professional tree pruners. He loved pruning his roses and camellias and loved his large Fuerte avocado tree. He was proud of his Eureka lemon tree and three fig trees planted in 1970 by his father Gust Tripodes and uncle Tom Glaros.

He enjoyed shopping for his favorite fruit and vegetables, compiling a weekly list of local sales and then going to Trader Joes, Sprouts, Ralphs, Vons, or Valumart.

He loved Disneyland, and thanks to advice from Michael Gallanes, he had a wonderful last visit on August 8, 2017 just before his 85th birthday. He saw the electric parade twice, which was his favorite.

He loved action movies where the bad guys got their justice, including the John Wick movies. He loved fantasy movies too, like the Harry Potter series. He enjoyed watching Jay Leno when he was hosting the Tonight Show, and attended one of their final showings on May 21, 2013. In recent times, he was a big fan of the History Channel's popular show, The Curse of Oak Island where a team is searching for hidden treasure.

He went to concerts with his son Dean, including the Three Tenors, Andrea Bocelli at the Hollywood Bowl, Bruce Springsteen at the Coliseum, Stevie Nicks at the Irvine Amphitheater, and Laura Branigan.

He was a great editor, and proofread the AHEPA El Camino Real newsletter and many Greek Obituaries. He said he had great grammar school teachers in Cleveland, and school was harder there than in California.

He was proud of being a man of integrity like his father Gust Tripodes. He would often tell a story his father would tell him: His father used to say that someone could ask Gust to hold $10,000 dollars (1950s money) for him, and tell Gust to meet him in 10 years at a street corner to give it back to him. Gust followed up saying he would be there or he would be dead. Their word was their bond.

He loved the stock market and investments. He loved to play poker, and enjoyed his monthly game with Dave, Ray, John, Tom, and Tony, playing until December 2019.

He is predeceased by his parents, siblings, and wife Georgia Tripodes. He is survived by his son Dean Tripodes, godchildren Steven Pastis, Emanuel Katsaros, and Parri Livanos, and many loving relatives and friends.

Trisagion will be on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 7:00pm. Funeral service will be on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 11:00am. Both services will be held at Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church, 778 S. Rosemead Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91107. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Pasadena AHEPA, 778 South Rosemead Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91107-5613.

He had a great sense of humor, and was quick witted with great one liners. His natural sense of timing made everyone smile. Below are some of his more memorable sayings.

Steven Tripodes quotes

• "Look forward to something every day."
• "If all your problems are money problems, then you don't have any problems." - Meaning you have your health, family, peace, etcetera.
• "Money is great, but it ain't that great." - Related to health is everything conversation.
• "Life is a big wheel. The good doesn't stay the same and the bad doesn't either."
• "Nothing says the same - not the bad and not the good. I want you to remember that."
• "After you do your best, it doesn't matter who likes it, including yourself."
• In life, "the battle is between your ears. It is the battlefield of the mind." - Meaning stay positive and don't think negative thoughts.
• "What were you worried about this time last year" - a colleague at work would say this when he was focused on a short term problem.
• "We're not cows, we don't feel the same very day." - A saying he liked from a colleague at ARCO, Ted Sebula (sp?)
• "Seek and ye shall find."
• When he felt he was staying too long at an event or visit, "If we stay here any longer they are going to charge us rent."
• "Your parts are new." - When a younger person was doing something requiring effort.
• "You should (feel good, be able to do something), your parts are new."
• "I feel great!" - he was blessed with not being in pain for most of his life.
• "No bad mail!" - when getting the mail and not seeing any bills.
• "That's better than lighting 100 candles at church." - someone doing a good deed.
• "Pooge!" - he would squeeze your shoulder as he walked by.
• "They are talking with rags in their mouths." - when he had to call Indian call centers.
• "He's a lonesome polecat." - referring to a 1940s or 1950s song "Lonesome Polecat," when he thought someone was lonely.
• "That woman was huge. She was like a hippopotamus with earrings." - referring to a news story about big women fighting at Walmart over Black Friday sales.
• "Olga sound like ugly said sideways."
• "Don't search for worries," he used to tell his mother Sophia Tripodes in Greek. Then to his son Dean, "You don't have to look for things to worry about." - regarding his health.
• At the doctor's office, when asked who takes care of him, "I have a million dollar son."
• "Just like downtown," - A 1930s or 1940s saying also quoted by Jim Chames.
• "No more holes to waste." - Referring to a saying that golfer Walter Hagen said when he was behind and had to come back to beat Tommy Armor Junior. Meaning that you have no more time to waste on a task or project.
• "You have to get plucky." - A quote his former boss used to tell him about pulling luck your way, by effort or hard work.
• "We have all the good things of the earth." - His mother Sophia Tripodes used to tell him that to remind him to be grateful. On July 5, 2016 he noted that he hadn't said that in 75 years.
• "I did my little gifts." - As he was walking to the corner to mail many $3 - $5 charity gifts. He quoted his mother Sophia Tripodes' saying which was in Greek.
• "My father (Gust Tripodes), Uncle Jack (Tripodes), and Uncle Mike (Katsaros) were good at not having waste. You're profit is in the stuff you throw out. The stuff that you save is your profit." - Talking about not wasting supplies for parties.
• "What am I - an idiot magnet?" - A troubled, screaming girl was behind him at the 4th of July celebration at Lacy Park in San Marino.
• "I am ready to kick butts and take names!" - in response to the question, how are you doing?
• "I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." - after a nap. He was awake and alert like a frisky squirrel.
• "I am Rip Van Tripodes." - after sleeping a long time. Rip Van Winkle is a short story by author Washington Irving, about a man who falls asleep and wakes up 20 years later.
• "Meow!" - As a cat owner, he noted that cats always had needs and like to meow.
• "Purr!" - Similar as meow, but when he was happy.
• "Glickkitty" - Another cat reference, for someone doing something strange or cat like.
• "Everything is fine and dandy while petting your cat, and then he can give you a bite to let you know he's tired of it." - He said "fine and dandy" was a favorite quote from Pasadena AHEPAN Angelo Petrakos.
• "Dogs are great. If dogs didn't go to the bathroom or bark, I'd have two."
• "Free love is so free it's expensive." - referring to a young person's new relationship.
• "The more you eat, the skinnier you'll get." or "The more you eat, the more you lose weight." - When eating delicious food.
• After a good meal, "What do you want, a refund?"
• After a good meal, "Nostimo" - Greek word for tasty.
• "We need coffee!" - after he woke up.
• "I'm giving you the honorary title of cafetzisi - a big coffee guy, expert, a guy who loves coffee." - He made up a word to sound Greek.
• "Whoever doesn't like it, doesn't have to eat it." - A Gust Tripodes saying in Greek when he was a kid. He would say that when someone was a fussy eater.
• "Ice cream is my favorite food in the whole world. More than Ruth's Chris steaks."
• "That food was like eating a Florsheim shoe." - referring to nursing home food in 2015.
• His father Gust Tripodes told him that he liked sugar so much, he would eat a shoe if you put enough sugar on it.
• "Everybody should feel as great as I do." - When he would wake up after dozing off in his office chair.
• "When you're invited to the dance, you got to dance." - A Jack Mavredakis saying he liked. Said while he was waiting in a doctor's office on July 11, 2019.
• "It takes too many cards to stay alive." - Dad handing a AAA card by mistake, instead of an Aetna insurance card, to a physical therapy receptionist.
• "Let the games begin." - Before a doctor's check up.
• "They are a walking time bomb!" - referring to unhealthy people he would see (smoking, fat, etcetera).
• "I don't know why people take Dulcolax (laxative) when they can just eat cherries." - After eating some great Orchard View Cherries from Vons.
• "I didn't sign up for this either." - after being sick on February 22, 2016.
• "If you are smart, you are harder to kill." - Referring to the Zodiac Killer documentary.
• "Kalo Eiste May" - A Greek phrase translated as "Good You're May". Referring to his mother Sophia Tripodes singing May Day songs to the blue jay birds in her back yard.
• "I am glad I am in Virginia's house of beauty, because I need a lot of it." - January 17, 2020 at Virginia Lappas' Headliners salon after dealing with physical therapy, and getting a hair wash and hair cut.
• "I'm glad you didn't have a canoe ride in a white suit with your best girl!" - Laughing - after someone had to go to the bathroom quickly.
• "If it wasn't for the Greeks the whole world would be wearing a fez." - Quote from his maternal grandfather Stelios Horaites.
• "Old King Cole was a merry old soul ... and he called for his fiddlers three." - old British nursery rhyme he would sing when he was happy.
• "They could drop you into China and you could make a living." - referring to someone who was a hard worker and inventive.
• "The jig is up, off with the mask!" - a saying he remembered fondly as a boy from old Charlie Chan movies.
• "I don't think they are Republicans." - Watching a bunch of criminals being arrested on television.
• "It's what in your heart or mind that makes the man, not the color of your skin. I would have voted for Condoleeza Rice in a heart beat." (Former United States Secretary of State)
• When talking about his parents passing away. "They slip through your hands like grains of sand." You try to hold on, but you can't.
• "The most beautiful words in eternity, Christos Anesti!" - Christ has risen.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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