Michael will be greatly missed by so many. He was such a wonderful husband. He was always kind and considerate. He really made a difference in all that he did. Michael always was willing to learn new things and he was very resourceful.
I really appreciated his service to our country. 
May he rest in Our Lord's loving arms.

This is from Tess, emailing Uncle Maurice, hope you don't mind Tess.

Might be a bit of rambling but i bet you’ll read it anyways <3

I’ve been here since Tuesday! I left key largo and got to drive the Skyway by myself for the first time. I was pretty excited about that, we’ve got a lot of memories going across that bridge on all the adventures we’d take. I was thinking how funny it is that I’ve lived in Michigan since i was 13/14 years old and I’ve never been over the Mackinaw Bridge but I’ve been on the Skyway tons of times.

I played you The Joker yesterday when i got in. Hoped you loved it (or hated to love it. Ha!) The nurses liked it too. I will formally apologize (in writing) for calling you Uncle Mike today. It won’t happen again, i promise!

I’ll email you again soon. Maybe tonight! Maybe tomorrow.

See you in the morning!

Love you so much!

Dolores and I were there while Michael  was in the hospital, and could see the pain his beloved wife, Jackie, experienced, and obviously, continues to experience.  Our prayers and thoughts go out to Jackie and the entire family

🎶 You used to call me Maurice 🎶

Picture it, Gettysburg, 2000ish. We’re at a family wedding convincing our New England family everyone in Kentucky has a horse in their backyard and no one wears shoes. My mom, aunts and i head back to the hotel room where my uncles were hiding out, watching tv. When we arrive “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band starts playing and UM goes on about how much he absolutely despises this song. So of course I start singing it with my mom and aunts. If you know this song, in the first verse after he says “You used to call me Maurice”, the guitar squeals a wolf whistle. And if you know The Bir’s, you know we’re loud! I started calling him Uncle Maurice that night and it was admittedly a really drawn out joke but it turned in to so much more. It turned in to getting cards signed by “Uncle Maurice” and immediately thinking about him when i heard the song. Hearing it felt like a long distance bridge across the country just to say hey. Hearing it now hits a little different but it’s something I’ll always have. 

Love you Uncle Maurice and I’m so thankful we got to listen to our song together one last time ❤️

For the quiet hands that built my world,
for the small, steady sacrifices you made in silence—
I carry the weight of them like a warm coat.
You taught me everything I know without fanfare:
how to stand when the ground gives way,
how to keep walking when the night is long,
How to get through a hard day without letting it get me down.

You were stoic, living every choice for the people you loved,
bearing burdens like a private weather no one else could read.
You kept your hurt folded inside like a letter never sent,
never wanting to be a burden, never asking for pity.
I think of you sitting at home when the house was quiet,
your silence filling rooms while the world went on—
And I am sorry I did not come more, did not sit with you then.

You loved becoming a grandfather with a soft, astonished pride,
and I saw how much it meant to you in the way your face changed.
You would not tell me of the aches you carried, the nights you were tired,
because you protected me from your pain the way you always protected us.
When I was a little girl, even when you were tired, you had time for me;
You kissed my tears away, made the world safe with your hands.
I felt protected with you; you were my shelter and my surest place.

I am full of regret and guilt for the quiet hours I left empty,
for the visits I postponed, for the words I let go unsaid.
Still, there was never a doubt about the way you loved—
a steady, stubborn light that never asked for praise.
I didn’t always say the words—I love you, I trust you, I respect you—
But I hope you felt them in the way I watched you, in the way I tried to be.

A piece of my heart went with you the day you left.
It sits beside your memory, learning to breathe again.
Thank you for every silent sacrifice, every lesson, every steady hand.
I will carry you forward, as you taught me—one brave step at a time.
I love you, Daddy

While I never met your PC (Prince Charming) I know you two shared a deep love and affection - by the way you talked about him - AND that he allowed himself to be adopted by your precious CAT...MISS KITTY.  
You will have so many beautiful memories to hold onto - from the everyday joys to the quiet moments that made your bond so special.
Jackie I'm truly sorry for your loss - I can only imagine the profound loss you are feeling now - Please know you are in my thoughts during this heart breaking  time -    Gerri McSmith

Jackie, I am so saddened to hear of Michael's passing.  I never had the honor of meeting him, but I know how devoted to each other you two were.  I do hope you will find some comfort in knowing that you have a very special angel watching over you!  I love you! ❤️

Michael and Ms Kitty, once a Dog Lover but Kitty stole his ❤️ Heart.

A Limb has fallen from the Family Tree
                
                        that says Grieve not for me,

                          Remember the Best times, the Laughter

                         the Song, the Good Life  I Lived

                            While I was Strong.
          
                                       I miss you Michael and Love you still,
                                           until we meet again.
                                                 Your Loving Wife,  Jackie

Committal Service is at New Albany Military Cemetery 1943 Ekins Avenue, New Albany, IN  47150 Friday April 17, 2026, at 1:30 pm. Celebration of Life to follow at Saint Brigid Goetz Center, 1520 Hepburn Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206.

OBITUARY

Joseph Michael Herold

January 26, 1947 – February 20, 2026

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