Michael J. Mitchko

Michael John Mitchko, age 84, of Bluffton, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on November 3, 2025, surrounded by his loving family at Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

Born in Jesup, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1941, Michael graduated from the University of Scranton with a degree in engineering. Following graduation, he began his career as an electronics engineer with NASA near Washington, D.C., before joining IBM in Binghamton, New York, where he worked as a software engineer. He later earned a master’s degree in computer science from the State University of New York in the early 1970s.

After retiring from IBM in the early 1990s, Michael continued to share his expertise as a freelance software consultant. He later embarked on a second career with Total Systems in Columbus, Georgia, where he retired once again in 2007.

Michael and his wife, Sally, made their home in Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, South Carolina. He was an avid golfer, always striving to perfect his swing, and he found joy in theater, poker, cooking, traveling, and entertaining friends. Above all, he cherished the many friendships he formed within the Sun City community.

He was predeceased by his brother, Joseph Mitchko, and his sister, Loretta Havrilchak.

Michael is survived by his beloved wife, Sally Mitchko; his son, Michael Mitchko (Anne); his daughter, Lynn Zepp (Karl); and his cherished grandchildren, Loghan Wagner, Madelyn, Michael, and Katheryn Mitchko.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on November 18th, 2025, at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 31 St. Gregory Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909. A luncheon will follow immediately in the Parish Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Michael’s memory.