Eleftherios Leo "Lee" Trovas

He is survived by his wife, Irene; his children, Gina Schaarschmidt (Steve), Alexandra Gilliam (Rick), Stephanie Trovas (Eric Stromberg), and John C. Trovas (Lissa); grandchildren Kelsey, James, Brooke, and Sierra Gilliam, John A. and Nik Trovas; nephew Thomas Trovas and niece Paula Ozanne. He was predeceased by his father, Stamatios “Tom” Trovas, his mother, Anna (Scafferi) Brown, and his older brother, Paul Joseph Trovas.

He was born in Marshalltown, IA. His father was from Samos, Greece, and his mother was of Sicilian heritage. The family owned a series of cafes in Marshalltown, and Lee remembers racing from school to the Plaza Cafe to cashier during the lunch hour rush, and then sprinting back to finish the school day. His father’s roots led to memorable family adventures; he often reminisced about building a boat with his dad and using it every chance they could get.

Lee graduated from North High School (after attending Marshalltown High), served in the US Army with the 84th Combat Engineer Battalion, earned a Finance degree from Drake University, completed an MBA at the then-new CU Colorado Springs campus (now UCCS), and finished PhD coursework and exams (ABD) in Higher Education Administration with a finance cognate.

He was living in Denver when a friend dragged him to Colorado Springs to a Greek community event. There, he met Nini (Irene), who had also been living in Denver. They were married on October 8, 1962.

Lee was involved in Toastmasters and various community organizations and nonprofits. His professional life included positions at Farmers Union Insurance, Colorado Interstate Gas, Merrill Lynch, Webster University, and the City of Colorado Springs.

Lee loved family, photography, history, and music—from Bocelli to The Music Man—and was proud of his college band, the International Trio. He moonlighted as an adjunct professor (University of Southern Colorado/CSU Pueblo; Webster University Graduate School of Business), teaching at Webster for 45 years and even adapting to online classes at age 89 during the pandemic. A gifted storyteller, he connected with people using music trivia, stock market facts, and wry humor.

Honoring his wishes for a private service, his remains will be interred at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church or a charity of your choice.