January 24, 1933 – October 26, 2021
Chris J. Pappas, 88, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2021 at his home after a valiant battle with cancer. Chris is survived by his daughters; Terianne Pappas and Anastasia Pappas Fuller; grandson Zachary Fuller; granddaughter Alexandra Fuller; stepdaughter Carla Kenney and her husband John Kenney (who is like a son to Chris); grandson Chis Kenney and wife Mary; great-grandson Leo Christopher Kenney; grandson Paul Kenney and granddaughter Julia Kenney; daughter-in-law Laurie Navarro and her husband James and their children Sascha and Sabrina Navarro.
Born in Davenport, Iowa to James C. and Anastasia (Esther) Pappas. Chris is predeceased by Marjorie (ML) and Joanne. He felt lucky to have two beautiful wives. For his studies, Chris attended Davenport High School, where he taught football, basketball and baseball. He then attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids Iowa, where he played football in his first and second years. He was the varsity team’s first quarterback in his freshman year. He coached football in the freshman year of his senior year. Chris was drafted into the military during the Korean War and attended Adjutant General School where he became a Postal Specialist. He was stationed in Linz, Austria, where he served as the quarterback for the football team that won the Austria-Italy championship. The team consisted of a college and a single professional player. He also coached and played on the hospital basketball team. He graduated from Coe in 1957 after his service engagement with a degree in business and political science. He was president of his TKE fraternity and chairman of the interfraternity council. Chris’ leadership made changes to Coe’s curriculum and the fraternity rush. He was successful in getting the academic council to remove compulsory courses that were not part of their major and set up a second semester rush for freshmen, who achieved the highest mark in the l history of Coe’s college at this time. Chris was hired by the Chicago Federal Reserve in August 1957. He attended the School of Assistant and Principal Examiners and the School of Trusted Examiners from 1957 to 1962. He was employed by the Federal Reserve for 12 years and has obtained the status of lead examiner and trusted examiner. He was then employed by Bankers Trust Company in Des Moines, Iowa, as Senior Director of Loans, responsible for commercial lending, business development, administration, asset and liability management, administrator loan and loan recovery specialist. When he reviewed Bankers Trust in 1967 he ranked the loans that made Bankers Trust a problem bank and was subsequently hired by Bankers Trust in October 1967. A year later when the Federal Reserve and the examiners of the state examined the bank, it became an “A” bank. . It maintained its rating for 11 years and until the credit committee was taken over by the president of the bank. In his final year at Bankers Trust, he collected over $ 10 million in bad debt and quit on October 1, 1982 when he achieved that goal, as he did not want his reputation to be ruined due to a disagreement with the president of the bank. He then worked as a consultant for a few years, then was recruited in 1985 by the FDIC to become a Senior Credit Specialist in conjunction with the Continental Illinois Bank, with responsibility for developing and settling commercial loans totaling $ $ 700,000,000. After that, in early 1986, he held the position of Executive Vice President at Anthony Wayne Bank of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was a problem bank in Indiana that got a memorandum of understanding and Chris was able to settle the loans and not only keep the doors open but also make the bank profitable. William Taylor, director of oversight, Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC, said he had never heard of the FDIC removing a memorandum of understanding in 90 days. Chris felt it was his greatest achievement.
One of Chris’s greatest loves was golf, which he also loved with ML and was grateful to play a round of golf with her the day before he died. By the way, she beat him up and he had to pay $ 10. Their love of golf together is why he has their putters with him … so they can practice when they meet again.
As exceptional as he was in banking and business in general, with many people in many industries seeking his advice, he was best known for being one hell of a bloke. Everyone who met him liked him. He’s the man who always has a smile on his face and wants to brighten up your day by telling you how great you are. Countless women have been told they are beautiful today, countless children have smiled. Oh, and the guys loved him too. He believed in jokes a lot. He was also a man who shared his father’s simple yet profound philosophies, which he passed on to his children and others. One of our favorites is “Don’t think about yesterday, don’t think about today, don’t worry about tomorrow, put a smile on your face and say thank goodness I’m alive todayâ€. He was an extremely generous man of his time and money, always giving more than he received.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Chris’s honor at Abode Hospice or the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Denver. For more information on the service, please visit HoranCares.com
Posted by Denver Post on Oct 31, 2021.