Michael James Royale

Michael James Royale, beloved son of Teresa Mae Millet and Leslie Alvin Royale, was born on January 14, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. Affectionately known as Mike, Michael, Macky, by family and close friends, Michael transitioned peacefully on July 16, 2024 after a long illness.

Born in Chicago, his family trailblazed to Baltimore in 1955 with his two sisters, Drucilla and Fabienne, settling on the west side of town, in Edmondson Village, and later welcomed a baby sister Geraldine. Michael attended elementary school at St. Joseph Monastery Catholic school and then went on to high school at both Mount St. Joseph and Edmondson High School, graduating in 1970.

His physical talent and athleticism in High School made him a household name in Baltimore, earning him the football nickname “Puddin” and basketball nickname “Oceanwalker” during his years at Mount Saint Joseph and Edmondson High. He dazzled the community with his exceptional skills across the board in baseball, basketball, track and football.

At a time of racial unrest in the late sixties, he made a tough decision to transfer over to Edmondson High School as a sophomore to find solace in his neighborhood high school that was more welcoming and offered a more conducive environment for him to flourish in his passion for sports and to thrive!

Thrive he did at Edmonson, in football and in friendships where he forged long lasting and lifelong brotherhood bonds. His success and accolades in football, basketball, track and baseball, were continually recognized in both local City papers and news outlets. Earning shoutouts from the Afro Newspaper and the News American as “Prep Headliner of the Week”, which highlighted his impressive yardage, carries and individual tackles.

Michael’s accolades and awards in football, ultimately lead to his journey and recruitment to University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he not only earned his BS in Physical Education in 1975, but also excelled competitively as team captain of the football team as #22 Defensive Back for the UMES Hawks, where he rocked the house as an ALL-STAR player and earned numerous athletic achievement awards in both football and track and field. He spent summers as an assistant in the Physical Education Department supervising activities for basketball, intramurals, community swimming and volleyball.

The year was 1976, and his cumulative success in College football was all starting to come to fruition, culminating in the ultimate offer to join the Baltimore Colts Football Team’s training camp as a Defensive Halfback and special teams player, where he gained the experience of a lifetime. And then once again the phone rang from another professional football team, this time an opportunity to play for the Sasakatchewan Roughrider Canadian Football Club as a defensive cornerback and kick-off return specialist. An injury would later take Michael off the field. After which he would gain experience as an Office Assistant with the Internal Revenue Service, Assistant Manager with Fayva Shoes in New York City, with time well spent in Brooklyn with his big sister Faye and brother-in-law Eddie and as a long-term substitute teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System teaching math, English, reading, phonics, recreation, science and social studies to 5th grade classes of 30 students (including at one point his baby sister Geri).

He later began a long career with Baltimore City as an Investigator for the Pretrial Services Division for the Baltimore District Court System and then as Court Commissioner for the District Court of Maryland. He also continued to demonstrate his love for students and physical education as a substitute physical education teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools.

Embracing his love in caring for the young and the old, he was even certified as a Nursing and Geriatric Nursing Assistant in the Baltimore City Health Department.

While continuing his work with the District Court of Maryland, he decided to explore entrepreneurial work as a Cosmetic Engineer for vehicles, always with a conscious and steadfast disposition and eye for the finest of details. No matter his profession or career, sports was always front and center for Michael, and a big part of who he was. He would continue his love of football, playing in a minor league team with the Baltimore Eagles, and local baseball leagues in the City and Howard County.

Michael loved skiing and playing fantasy football and fantasy baseball, with his niece Nikki, and created fond memories of the two of them enjoying and spending countless hours watching the O’s at Camden Yards, doing what he loved best.

In his golden years, and when life took a turn physically, it was his big sister Faye, baby sister Drudy and niece Nikki, there to help him through the tough times. And ultimately through the hardest times, his sister Drudy and niece Nikki, cared for him around the clock so that he could spend his last few years with family, filled with love, laughter and the sports channel playing in the background, watching him transition with compassion and love to the very end, holding his hands until his last breath.

He leaves a lifetime of cherished memories to his son Michael Royale (Monica Johnson mother), daughter-in-law Lorena Royale, grandkids Logan and Isabella Royale; ex-wife, Cathy Royale and stepson Darian Stoval; three sisters, Fabienne Royale Larkins, Drucilla Davis Pollard, Geraldine Royale Byrd; three brothers-in law, Eddie Larkins, Herman Davis (deceased), Leonard Pollard, and Carlton Byrd; four nephews, Edward Louis Larkins, Damon Royale Pollard, Mackinley Robert Byrd, Dawson Anthony Byrd; and two nieces, Dominique “Nikki” Maria Davis, and Tyler Isabella Byrd and a host of family and close friends.

A Celebration of Life for Michael will be held Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045.