Laurence John Mily, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, passed away July 6, 2026.
Laurence was born July 20, 1943, to Clifford and Debora Mily in the Bronx, New York City. He graduated from Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Central Catholic High School in 1962 and was a member of the football team, choir, and glee club, and participated in school plays. After graduating from Villanova University in 1967, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant at was then known as Coopers & Lybrand, a job that brought him and his young family from Philadelphia to Columbus. The family settled in Worthington and Laurence and his wife raised four children. In 1969, Laurence earned an MBA from Xavier University. Eventually Laurence started his own business coordinating lease financing, a job (most of) his family barely understood, but his son joined him at work in the 1980s which brought him enormous joy. He had too many international work trips to count; in one highlight, he rode on the Concorde.
Laurence was a lifelong Roman Catholic. He was a parishioner of St. Michael in Worthington for over 40 years and then St. Vincent de Paul in Mount Vernon, where he moved in 2021 to live closer to family. If he was still with us, Laurence would ask that everyone reading this “Please pray for Pope Leo XIV.”
Laurence was proud of his Irish heritage. He was extremely smart, well-read, and funny. He taught his children to dodge waves in the ocean and loved to swim until his last days. He rarely raised his voice. He worked hard. He had an affection for smoking cigars. He adored Cadillacs and had three over his adulthood. He always made sure to get a picture of everyone together in front of the Christmas tree. He exemplified how to disagree without being disagreeable. When a daughter married someone Jewish, he said his piece about how to raise the grandkids, and then just loved everyone. He may have enjoyed the chair dance portion of the Hora at the wedding more than anyone.
Laurence could be persistent. That trait served him well when his concern that a lump on his pectoral area could be cancer was pooh-poohed. He lived 25 years after his male breast cancer diagnosis due in part to the early detection. He took part in Knox Community Hospital Cancer Survivor days for the last 5 years.
He spent the last few years of his life happily puttering around Mount Vernon. His family is grateful to the employees at Kroger, the operators of the KAT Bus, and the fellow residents of The Fairways to let someone grow old in their midst.
Laurence is survived by children Laurence, Jr. (Michelle), Elizabeth (Edward), Laura (Tony), and Emily (Randy), grandchildren Laurence III, Natalie, Mallory, Tony, Gabrielle, Zoe, John, Elliot, Jeremy, Jonah, and Ezra.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (303 East High Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050) beginning at 10am with Father James Farnan as Celebrant. Burial will follow in Bennington Chapel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
To send the family a condolence online visit: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com
The Snyder Funeral Homes in Mount Vernon is honored to serve the family of Laurence John Mily.
Funeral Home: Snyder Funeral Home – Dowds Chapel
Website: snyderfuneralhomes.com