Deacon Milton “Skip” Royer, a deacon of the Archdiocese, died on October 7, 2024 at the age of 86. Deacon Skip was ordained by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on September 25, 1976, the very first permanent ordination class in the Archdiocese. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for forty-eight years.
Upon his ordination, Deacon Skip was assigned to Corpus Christi Parish in Dayton. He served there for twenty-one years, including serving as pastoral administrator of the parish for a period in 1988. He was reassigned by Archbishop Pilarczyk to Queen of Martyrs Parish, Dayton, in 1998. In 2008, his assignment was expanded to include Queen of Martyrs, Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Mercy parishes, as they combined into one pastoral region. He remained assigned to these parishes throughout the remainder of his ministry.
Deacon Skip leaves his wife, Wanda, to whom he was married for 60 years. He also leaves their four children and their spouses, fourteen grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren.
