Michael Joseph Diewald

Mr. Michael Joseph Diewald, 76, husband of Margaret "Peggy" Diewald, peacefully passed away Wednesday, December 18, 2024, in the presence of his devoted wife, at Bon Secours - St. Francis Hospital after a long struggle with Parkinson's Disease.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 AM Monday, December 23, 2024, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1695 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd, Charleston. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the Mass at St. Joseph's. The Rite of Committal will take place at a later date.

Michael was born December 13, 1948, in Columbus, OH, son of the late Agnes O’Dowd and Joseph Howard Diewald. He graduated in 1966 from Saint Charles Preparatory School, Columbus, OH, and Ohio Dominican College in 1970, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

He is survived by his wife, of 30 years, Margaret (Peggy); children Jacob, Patricia, and Margaret (Jeff) Aquino, and their mother Mary; stepdaughter Kelly (Martin) Kozakiewicz; and sister Theresa (Hank) Thibaut. He was also doting Grandpa to Wesley Michael Aquino, and Papaw to Abigail, Isabelle, and Patrick Kozakiewicz.

A Sir Knight of the Knights of Columbus since 1995, Mike served as Grand Knight of Saint Veronica Council #12579 (3rd Degree) and as Faithful Navigator of Acts of Apostles Assembly #2411 (4th Degree), both in Chantilly, VA. He was also a proud member of the Knights of Columbus Color Corps, serving as a Color Corps Commander and Marshal.

Throughout his adult life, Mike was a dedicated, faithful Roman Catholic. He and Peggy were founding members of Saint Veronica Catholic Church, Chantilly, VA (Envelope #1!!!), where Mike also served as sacristan and as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in both church and hospital ministry. At other times and parishes, he was a lector, sang in the choir, taught religious education, and led Natural Family Planning counseling.

Mike’s work and professional career spanned 51 years. When he was 11 years old, he traversed his south side Columbus, OH, neighborhood as a newspaper carrier for the Columbus Citizen Journal. In his high school and college years, he hustled as a bagboy at Ontario Stores and as a grocery stocker and cashier at Big Bear Grocery. After college, in the 1970s through the 1980s, Mike worked as an unemployment and workers compensation claims analyst, claims supervisor, and manager at R.E. Harrigton and Gates McDonald (subsidiary of Nationwide Insurance).

From the late 1980s through 1992, his career path led him to the consulting firm LDA Systems, and then to Computer Task Group (CTG) as a systems analyst. In the 1990s, when he relocated his family to the Virginia/DC metro area, Michael wrapped up his career as a programmer and systems analyst with Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, VA, retiring in 2011.

In retirement, Mike and Peggy enjoyed travel abroad and pilgrimages to shrines in France and the Holy Land. Mike, brave soul that he was, returned to the Holy Land on a second pilgrimage as chaperone for teens from Saint Veronica’s. Special travel included two trips to New Zealand to visit Peggy’s brother Bill and family; cruises to the Bahamas, New England, and Canada; as well as many U.S. road trip adventures.

Desire to live closer to family in South Carolina led Mike and Peggy on a new adventure to build a home with southern charm and settle in Summerville, SC. In recent years, the need to downsize brought Mike and Peggy to the West Ashley area of Charleston, where they have been blessed to meet, come to know, and be embraced by new neighbors and friends in their Villas of West Ashley community and Saint Joseph church community.

Always the family “Tinkerer” and “Mr. Fix-It,” Mike also found great joy in retirement enhancing his tool collection from trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot and dreaming up many projects, using his new tools to great satisfaction. Also, finally having the time to give vent to his inner “Casey Jones,” Mike built a model train table, unpacked his numerous HO-scale train cars and engines, assembling them, laying track, connecting transformers, and ordering/assembling all the components for building a village for his trains to circle and service. Whenever Peggy asked, “When will it be finished?!” Mike would always reply, “Finishing isn’t the point; enjoying the ‘ride’ is what’s important.” And that just about sums it up!

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Music Ministry at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, 1695 Wallenberg Blvd., Charleston, SC 29407.