Michael A. “Mike” Mauk, 52, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Altoona, passed away Sunday after an unexpected medical emergency at Bayfront Health, St. Petersburg, Fla. His wife was by his side. He was born in Altoona, the son of Michael and Carol Mauk.
He graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1987. He then enlisted in the United States Navy.
After fulfilling his Naval career, Michael went on to be a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense in Intelligence. With a passion for computer science and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and learning, Michael spent the next 36 years working in cyber security for both the private sector as well as the healthcare field.
Michael had a passion for children’s hospitals, spending a good portion of his career focused on hospital systems to help protect patient data as well as hospital infrastructure. In his quest for knowledge, he graduated with honors, summa cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in business intelligence/analytics. He was pursuing a master’s degree in data science and artificial intelligence. Michael always strove to continue his education, continuously learning from life experiences, colleagues or self taught courses to improve his skills.
He was the president of his own small consulting firm, Millennium Network Solutions. Michael always credited his work ethic, determination and discipline to his naval career.
One of Michael’s greatest qualities was that he prided himself on his integrity. As an Eagle Scout, former Navy sailor and Freemason, he constantly strove to be an upstanding gentleman and a man of his word. Michael spent a good portion of his time volunteering, noting how important it was to give back to his community.
He was an Eagle Scout, member of the American Heart Association, Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Masonic Lodge, FEMA Disaster Recovery Unit, Cyber Forensics Unit with the FBI, Global Cyber Security Association, Cyber Security Forum of Tampa Bay and Shriners Hospitals for Children, where he participated as a clown and put smiles on the faces of children. He was a sponsor of the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation with University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital. He was especially grateful for the community and team leadership at IPC as he found great joy in the work he completed with them.
Michael was an avid scuba diver working toward his dive master certification. Some of his favorite dive locations included local springs, coral reefs and on his list was to eventually dive in the great Tortugas National Park. He was also an avid golfer and loved football – go Gators!
Michael also prioritized taking time away from the stresses of life to pursue relaxation with those he loved, especially planning getaways and adventures with his wife. Michael’s love for life, laughter and his upstanding character will be sorely missed.
He is survived by his loving wife of seven years, Penny Lucille (Wilkes) Mauk; his daughters Alicia Witt (Jason) and Maryssa Mauk; a grandchild, Levi Belles; his mother Carol Ann (Germano) Mauk; a sister, Lee Ann Bouch (Devon); his nephew, Anthony Leap; his Aunt, Anthea Louise Germano; and cousins, Stephan Zawadzki (JulieAnne) Robinson of Tampa, Fla., and Willis Alexander of Merit Island, Fla.
Michael was preceded in death by his father, Michael Edward Mauk; and grandparents, Anthony and Mildred (Ruscito) Germano.
Friends will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 10, 2022, at Santella Funeral Home where a vigil for the deceased will be held; and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 11, 2022.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Committal at Calvary Cemetery with full Military Honors.
Online condolences may be made at www.santellafuneralhome.com.
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