Leonidas P. Econom — known in the family as Leo — was born in New York City around 1926, of Greek-American heritage. The surname Econom is most likely an Anglicization of Οικονόμου (“Oikonomou”), a common Greek-American surname. The “P.” middle initial almost certainly encodes his patronymic — his own father’s first name — following the same Greek convention that Lazaros’s children used.
He married Rhea “Lula” Jeannopoulos around 1950, and they were married for 62 years. In 1964 they moved from New York to California, where they founded Econom Tax Service in Northridge. In 1977 they opened a restaurant in Las Vegas with their friend and client Jack Tucey.
They raised six children — Peter, Jo Ann, Cathy, Christine, Stephanie, and Kim — together. He survived Rhea’s death in 2012 by eleven and a half years.
He died April 5, 2024 in Northridge, California, at age 98.