Louis Strovas

Louis Strovas was born in Primero, Colorado on November 21, 1918, the eighth of twelve children to Blaz and Maria Strovas. He was reared in the coal mining area of Southern Colorado and began coal mining in 1933. He married in the 1940s and to this union was born a son, Louis, Jr. The marriage ended in divorce during his World War II military service.

Louis served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII on hospital ships off the shores of Africa, Italy and France. He made 13 crossings of the Atlantic as a member of the Surgical Hospital Company aboard the USHS Chateau Thierry and the USHS J. M. Huddleston. He was honorably discharged in 1944.

In 1947, he met the love of his life, Irene Ballestrine. They married in December 1951. After their marriage they moved to Borger, Texas where he was a welder/fabricator in the research lab of Union Carbide (now a part of Ashland Oil). They were transferred to Houston in 1962. After his retirement in 1974, they managed and then bought the Pine Village Apartments. They shared a remarkable love and life until Irene’s death at home in 2006.

Louis passed away peacefully and quietly at their home on February 14, 2012. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Irene and 10 of his brothers and sisters. He is survived by his son, Louis Jr. of Lakewood, Colorado, his sister, Evelyn Schneider of Glendale, California, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home on Sunday, February 19, 2012 from 4-6 PM. Funeral services, also at Memorial Oaks, will be Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:30 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the charity of your choice.

Arrangements under the direction of Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, Houston, TX.