Joseph William Mikos Jr.

Joseph William Mikos, Jr., son of Mary Duda Mikos and Joseph Sr., was born in Fort Devens, Massachusetts on September 23, 1942. His father served in the army and was stationed in Yokohama, Japan during the Korean Conflict. Joe attended kindergarten and first grade at St. Joseph's College in Japan. One of his earliest memories was being put on a bus on base on day one of kindergarten. When the bus stopped, he got off. However, the bus had stopped in the city, not the school, and Joe was lost. Another man from his father's unit recognized Joe, Jr. and Sergeant Mikos was called.
Another memory of Japan was riding his Christmas present, a new two-wheel bike, down a hill, skidding on the scree on the side of the road, tumbling head over handlebars, and skinning himself from forehead to ankles. After picking out the stones and grit, his mom then poured mercurochrome over the cuts.
After Korea, the family returned stateside and settled in Glen Burnie. Now, Joe was the eldest of four with sister Susie still on the way. Joe grew up riding his bike to BWI to watch planes take off and later, riding to the local dump to shoot rats off piles of trash at night. The family moved to a split level on Wyndcrest Avenue in Catonsville to accommodate their growing family.
Joe played baseball and ran with a small group of friends. He attended Catonsville High School and spent a year at University of Maryland before transferring to Catonsville Community College and then University of Baltimore where he earned a business degree. Then came the Vietnam War. He enlisted as an officer and trained at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He was a troop transport officer and returned home a First Lieutenant. Using the GI bill, he went to Towson State College where he literally ran into his future wife, Kathy, on a ski trip. Neither one of them skied, but they both graduated in 1972 and married soon after.
Joe taught Physical Education in Harford County for 31 years, primarily at Magnolia Elementary School. "Everyone loved Mr. Mikos." He finished his Master's program in 1979 when his son, Matthew, was born. He poured every drop of love he could into raising his son to share his love of sports, particularly baseball and football (Orioles and Ravens), and his playful sense of humor.
Joe and Kathy enjoyed traveling on day trips all over and to Williamsburg, Va. and Ocean City, Md. They travelled to visit family and friends and on their 30th anniversary, Joe surprised Kathy with a two-week tour of Ireland. They celebrated their fortieth with a trip to Bermuda and the Caribbean, and just last year, on their fiftieth anniversary, they had a golden party with family and friends.
Joe Mikos was an intensely private family man plagued by many illnesses and discomforts in his later years. He was a juggler, a stamp collector, and a highly organized individual with more common sense than most people. Joe was a friend to count on, a father to admire, a grandfather to play with, a brother to look up to, and a husband to love and honor. He made us giggle, laugh, and cry. He will be missed.
Joe is survived by his wife of 51 years, Kathy, his son, Matthew, his daughter-in-law, Cailin, and his grandson, Jacob, all of Havre de Grace; also, his sisters and their spouses, Marilyn and Tony Cenedella of Colorado, Pauline and Ed Babinski of Massachusetts, and his brother and wife, David and Andrea Mikos of Hanover, Pennsylvania.
Family and friends will honor and celebrate Joseph's life with a receiving of friends at Evans Life Celebration Home-Forest Hill, 3 Newport Drive on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 from 4-6 pm with a memorial service at 5:30 pm. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.evansfuneralchapel.com
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