Michael O. Milord, long-time resident of Severna Park, MD, passed away at the age of 74, in order to avoid political posts and opinions regarding the upcoming presidential election. Mike made his last wildly inappropriate and likely irreverent comment on February 29, 2024. He passed of natural causes, in spite of his affinity for adult beverages, risky sledding decisions during the blizzard of 2003, rare red meat, making home repairs to his own brakes despite having no mechanical experience to speak of and the insistence of riding an electric scooter for his 70th birthday while legally blind in his right eye.

Mike is predeceased by his beloved son, Dan Milord, (2004) and his dearest sister, April Mitas Milord (2016.)

He is survived by his daughter, Michelle Milord of Odenton MD; his brother, Thomas Milord Sr. and his wife, Jeanne, of Dayton, OH; his brother-in-law Steve Mitas, of Tallahassee, FL; his niece, Allison Booher, her husband, Bryon, and their two children, Miles and Hazel, of Louisville, CO; his nephew Rob Mitas of Leadville, CO; his nephew Thomas Milord Jr., his wife Jessica, and their two children, Archer and Beau of Visalia, CA; and his nephew Andrew Milord, and his wife Julia, of Charlotte, NC.

Born in Dayton, OH, August 17, 1949, to Robert and Marie Bannon Milord, Mike graduated from Carroll High School in 1967 and attended the University of Dayton, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Education. He obtained a Master of Education in 1980 at The Johns Hopkins University and spent 15 years teaching English at George Fox Middle school, later renamed Lake Shore, and Chesapeake Bay Middle school. Mike took great pride in staying in touch with his students, going so far as to organize and meet annually for dinner, even years after he quit teaching to catch up and stay connected. The statute of limitations has expired for any student that wishes to file a grievance for lessons learned from Mr. Milord that were not part of the approved curriculum.

Mike enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in 1971 at Clinton County Air Force Base, Wilmington OH, attended basic training in Texas, and went on to technical school at Chanute Air Force Base where he completed training as an aircraft pneudralic repairman. In 1972, after graduation, he transferred to the 135th Tactical Airlift Group, Maryland Air National Guard assigned as an administrative specialist. In 1983, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. In 1984, his favorite daughter's birth year, Mike was assigned as chief of Social Actions for the 135th TAG. In 1987, Mike was selected as the Maryland state public affairs officer at the Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore. In 1992, he was selected to provide media escort for reporters covering Operation Provide Hope, a massive humanitarian effort. In June 1992, he transferred to the DC National Guard serving as the state public affairs officer. He provided intensive support for local and national news issues to include the mayor's request to the President to call up the Guard for municipal police operations for drug-related crime, rescue and recovery efforts, and WJLA-TV coverage of Operation Desert Storm.

In 1998, Mike entered active duty when he was selected as the Air National Guard advisor to the assistant secretary of Defense for Public Relations at the Pentagon, responsible for press operations for the reserve forces, news media travel, Atlantic Command and the assistant secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. He managed press operations during the military recovery of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette; the Payne Stewart air crash, and provided personal support for Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, in Europe for NATO discussions and press coverage. In 2001, he was assigned as Reserve Forces advisor to the commandant, Defense Information School, Fort Meade, MD. Shortly after reporting, he returned to the Pentagon press office to support 24-hour operations after the September 11th terrorist attacks, where he developed a system to report and track the massive call-up of reserve forces. In 2004, Lt. Col. Milord, was assigned to the National Guard Bureau public affairs office as an action officer in media and community relations. He also created a system to track massive guard support for Hurricane Katrina and provided month-long twice-daily updates to the national press. In 2009, Mike deployed to the DC National Guard for press operations to support the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, where he arranged for senior leader interviews and helped generate more than 1,000 articles nationally and internationally citing flawless National Guard support to civil authorities.

Among his awards and decorations are the Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He also received several military journalism awards for feature writing and editing.Mike graciously served and worked directly under Lieutenant General Russell C. Davis and the late Major General Warren L. Freeman, both of whom he held in the highest possible regard. Lt. Col Milord retired from the Air Force in 2009 and permanently retired in 2021.

When he was not being an upstanding, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, Mike's love for travel steered him to Ohio, Florida, Aruba, Las Vegas, Arizona, and anywhere else that had the potential to be warm, sunny, or had a bar on the beach. If there was a boat, a dock, a pier, a waterfront, or shore, Mike was shuffling towards it. He enjoyed outdoor festivals, live music, art shows, dining out, comedy shows, placing legal wagers with others in establishments that cater to such individuals, and unfortunately for those with the gift of sight, dancing. He relished spending time with family and was rarely one to pass up a wedding, a graduation, a birthday party, baby shower, holiday, retirement, or celebration of life. Mike found eternal mirth in the pestering, pranking, and overall heckling of all young family members between the ages of 1 and 15 years. Mike found the humor in most any situation, he took pride in regurgitating his father's crass "Grey Poupon" joke and would always "pull a nana" by sneaking down to better ball-game seats in the 7th inning. Mike also enjoyed taking photos, much to the dismay and discomfiture of his family and friends. He participated heavily in organizing events with Carroll High School classmates, going so far as to join the reunion committee to plan get-togethers and functions with those he went to high school with in 1967. He had immense pride and love for his classmates and would consistently bore his daughter with stories from decades earlier.

Mike was a lot of things to a lot of people, please accept whichever version of him you received, as it truly was his best.

Family and friends may visit on Friday, March 15, 2024 from 4 pm - 7 pm at Barranco Severna Park Funeral Home & Cremation Care, P.A., 495 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park, MD 21146. A Memorial Mass will be offered on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 10 am in St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 689 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park, MD 21146. Interment will be private.