A son of the late Maurice DeLorenzo and the late Marire Maddaloni DeLorenzo, he was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 1st, 1949. He held a degree in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College and served in the United States Army. During his distinguished career, Mike or DeLo, as he was often called, worked in countless ways to serve the State of Florida, local Florida communities and as Regional Team Leader for the Southeast United States. Mike began emergency work through the Office of Civil Defense, worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 35 years, then the Florida Emergency Management Division, working as Response Bureau Chief, retiring as Deputy Director, and most recently, as Emergency Training Consultant for the US Army. His expertise has provided inspiration to personnel across the Emergency Management spectrum through his outstanding knowledge, and dedication to the duty of preserving lives and the structures that support them.
With FEMA, Mike played a important role in the recover for all of the major disasters to include: Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, Emily, Opal as well as the Water Storm in Tallahassee, Hurricane George Response in Mississippi and as FEMA Region IV CONOP for the 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta GA. Mike led the Division’s response to Hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jean in 2004. Then in 2005, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Wilma and the Florida team sent to Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina. The 2004 and 2005 Hurricane Seasons were filled with some of the worst storms in Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Mike retired for the first time from the State, teaching Emergency Management in the private sector 2006- 2010. In 2010 he returned to run Operation Haiti Relief, and the Deepwater Horizion/ BP Oil Spill. Mike retired 2015.
A twice recipient of the Florida Distinguished Service Medal, he was an outstanding leader in the Emergency Management Community, always ready to be an island of calm in an ocean of confusion and finding the most effective ways to inspire the right people to the right tasks. Many in the Emergency Management community have learned a lifetime worth of valuable information from Mike. He always had good stories to tell about the “good ole days”, each with its own hard earned wise and practical lessons. Whether or not he knew it, Mike DeLorenzo was a true and respected leader to all!
He was a loving husband to Idy Codington, a brother to Elaine DeLorenzo, Maureen DeLorenzo and Ginger Simpler, a devoted father to Veronica DeLorenzo Castleberry, Michael Joseph DeLorenzo III, and a son-in-law John Castleberry. He dearly loved his grandchildren, Luke Castleberry and Emma Grace Castleberry.
A Memorial Service will be held on August 28, 2019 at 2:00 PM at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home, 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312, with a Gathering of Family and Friends to follow.
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