Panayotis Koveos

Panayotis “Peter” E. Koveos, 78, of DeWitt, NY passed away after a brief illness, surrounded by family at Crouse Hospital. Peter was born in Athens, Greece on October 12, 1946 to the late Evangelos and Kristina Koveos. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to go to school at American International College in Springfield, MA. This is where he met his amazing wife. Peter was also drafted into the US Army, while still in college. Peter continued his education in Economics at Pennsylvania State University where he achieved both his Masters and Ph.D. He went on to teach at Penn State and University of Rhode Island, before joining the faculty at Syracuse University. Peter was a dedicated professor and scholar who taught at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University for 42 years. During this time, Peter held various positions within the finance department and oversaw many community related projects. Peter was also involved in International Business and was the Kiebach Chair. He traveled to many different countries sharing his insight and knowledge. He often shared great stories about the “different” foods he was served. Peter had a strong work ethic and was a proud mentor to the thousands of students that joined his classroom. He thought very highly of his colleagues and strongly believed that it took a village to be successful.

He was a humble man, who was full of kindness and integrity. Peter was always there with his love, knowledge and thoughtful advice. His wonderful sense of humor always brought smiles and laughter to everyone. Even through Peter’s personal health struggles, his bone marrow transplant in 2008, he remained positive and always saw the best in everyone. Peter adored spending quality time with his family, he was a devoted husband, father and grampy aka “geeky.” He was a proud fan of the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boston Red Soxs. As many know, he passed on this love to his grandsons. Peter would share his infectious enthusiasm for sports by rooting for his beloved grandsons’ teams, as well as watching games with Cole and Christian at home beside the family cat, Frosty. He enjoyed spending summers, with his wife, back home in Greece. He would often bring the whole family to the beaches of Amorgos, which created lifelong memories for everyone. Peter loved movies, especially comedy and music.

Peter is predeceased by his sister Maria (Spyros) Leloudas, and brothers Mihalis (Themis), and John. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jean Koveos (Broadbent), daughter Kristina (Michael) Jordan, sons Eugene Koveos (Sera Brown) and Alexander (Lindsey) Koveos, grandsons Nicholas “Cole” and Christian Jordan, as well as many extended family members, friends, and colleagues who will miss him dearly. His family finds comfort in knowing that Peter’s legacy lives on through the lessons he taught us, the scholars he mentored, the love he shared, the happiness he encouraged and the memories we will cherish forever.

The family would also like to thank Peter’s bone marrow donor, who gave us 16 more years to spend with him, the many nurses and doctors who have helped him stay healthy over the years at Roswell Park in Buffalo and locally. We also want to thank the ICU staff at Crouse Hospital for their compassion over the past two weeks.

Calling Hours will be held on Sunday, December 29th from 2-5 pm at Burns Garifield Funeral Home, 3175 East Genesee St Syracuse.  A Funeral Service will be held at 11 am on Monday, December 30 at the Funeral Home,  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma society, a cause close to Peter's heart.