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 Nikitas 'Nick' Tripodes, 61, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2017 at his home in South Pasadena surrounded by his family. Nick was born in Alhambra on January 13, 1956 to Jack and Mary Tripodes, both Greek immigrants who had moved to California after starting their family in Cleveland. By far the youngest of his siblings and cousins, Nick was deeply loved by his extended family. The adoration was mutual and Nick developed a lifelong commitment to his family as well as to the larger Greek-American community. He was active in numerous organizations, including St Anthony Greek Orthodox Church, AHEPA, the Greek Heritage Society of Southern California, and the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood, a fraternal organization of Greeks from his ancestral island of Icaria.
Nick lived his whole life in South Pasadena and he had fond childhood memories of attending Saturday matinees at the Rialto, graduating from South Pasadena High School, and working during summers at Gus's BBQ, the family's business.
He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and he later attended the university's School of Dentistry. Nick established his dental practice in Pasadena where he took great pride in the care he provided to his patients throughout his 36-year-long career. He will be remembered by his patients, many of whom became lifelong friends, for his sense of humor, positive attitude, and his gentle technique.
Nick met his wife, Dena, while both were serving on the parish board of St Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in Pasadena. Nick and Dena were married in 1987. They purchased their home in South Pasadena adjacent to Nick's childhood home where his parents continued to live. Nick was a deeply devoted father and cherished the time he spent with his family. He especially loved spending long weekends and vacations in Santa Barbara, which he considered his second home. He cultivated an appreciation for locally-sourced food and was a staple of Saturday farmers' markets in both Santa Barbara and Pasadena.
Nick is survived by his bride of almost 30 years, Dena; his children Zacharias (SPHS 2009), Marika (SPHS 2011), and Georgia (SPHS 2011); his sister Virginia Tripodes Lappas (SPHS '57) and her family; his brother Peter Tripodes (SPHS '60); and many aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Chapman Funeral Homes, June 5, 2017
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Bill Zeile (1973)
I'm so sorry to learn of Nick's passing. We were pretty close back in junior high school. We frequently walked home from school together as far as the corner of Milan Avenue and Monterey Road, at which point I would continue north and Nick would continue east. Being a bit of a cut-up, Nick sometimes would sing (to the tune of "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home"), "Won't you walk home Bill Zeile, won't you walk home, won't you walk home with me."
One enduring memory I have of 7th grade is an English class assignment to write a research report on any subject of our choice. Nick and I were both ambitious to turn in a product bigger than expected, so we opted to skip a school party to spend the time instead at a common table in the school library to work on our reports. The subject of Nick's report was the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, which of course involved Greece.
Even before he was a teenager, Nick could talk at length about all things Greek. On our walks home, we sometimes discussed scenes from the movie Zorba the Greek, which then was still fresh in public memory. There's a famous line in the movie in which Zorba, having revealed to Basil the one sin that God will not forgive, added, "I know because a very wise old Turk told me." I vividly remember Nick amending the line to say, "I know because a very wise old jerk told me."
Nick could be pretty funny. He will be missed.
Bill