Michael Pope. Source: https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/2026/10/06/michael-keith-pope/
Ohio State University. Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ohio_State_University_December_2013_24_(University_Hall).jpg)
Southern State Community College. Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SSCC1.JPG)
American Electric Power. Photo: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AEP_building.jpg)
Ohio State University. Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ohio_State_University_December_2013_24_(University_Hall).jpg)
Southern State Community College. Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SSCC1.JPG)
American Electric Power. Photo: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AEP_building.jpg)
Michael Keith Pope was born on June 29, 1958, in Washington Court House, Ohio, to Roger Keith Pope and Shirley Ann Pope. He grew up in Fayette County and graduated from Washington Senior High School in 1976.
Pope remained connected with central and southwestern Ohio throughout his career. He later lived in Orient, Ohio, where he raised a family and continued professional and consulting work. He died in Washington Court House on October 5, 2026.
Pope graduated from Washington Senior High School in 1976. He then studied electrical engineering at The Ohio State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1980.
The Ohio State University, founded in 1870 as a land-grant institution, developed into a major public university with strong engineering and research programs. Pope's education placed him within the expansion of professional electrical engineering that accompanied the modernization of American utilities, municipal infrastructure, and industrial systems in the late twentieth century.
Pope began his engineering career with Ohio Edison Company in Springfield in 1980 and subsequently worked for American Electric Power in Columbus from 1986 to 1988. Ohio Edison and American Electric Power were major electric utilities serving the expanding industrial, commercial, and residential systems of Ohio and the wider region. Alongside utility employment, Pope taught at Southern State Community College in Hillsboro from 1982 to 1988, combining professional engineering practice with postsecondary instruction.
In 1988 he joined Burgess & Niple, Ltd., an engineering and infrastructure consulting firm based in Columbus, as section director of its electrical group. His work there formed part of the consulting engineering environment that supported public utilities, transportation systems, municipal facilities, and other infrastructure projects.
Pope later worked in the Electric Division of the City of Westerville, where he served for 29 years. Municipal electric divisions operate and maintain local electrical systems and coordinate utility services for their communities. He also established MK Pope Engineering Company in 1999 as a sole proprietorship providing engineering and consulting services to local communities. In 2004, the city of Englewood hired the company for street-lighting projects and an analysis of the operating costs of an existing street-lighting system.
Pope founded MK Pope Engineering Company in 1999, establishing an independent engineering and consulting practice that served local communities and undertook municipal street-lighting work.
Through MK Pope Engineering Company, Pope worked on street-lighting projects for the city of Englewood and prepared an analysis comparing the operating costs of municipal ownership with the city's existing full-service street-lighting arrangement.
Pope was affiliated with the Republican Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States. The party has historically included traditions emphasizing limited government, private enterprise, individual responsibility, constitutional institutions, and national defense, although its policy positions and internal coalitions changed considerably during Pope's lifetime.
Pope was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a professional organization that advances electrical, electronic, computer, and related engineering fields through technical exchange, standards, education, and professional activities.
Pope was described by people close to him as optimistic, welcoming, and consistently positive. His obituary emphasized his constant smile, uplifting laugh, and friendly manner toward friends and strangers.
Quotes from others about the person
He was remembered as an eternal optimist whose smile, laugh, and positive attitude left a lasting impression on friends, colleagues, and family.
Pope was the son of Roger Keith Pope and Shirley Ann Pope. He married Lana Eakins in 1998, and they had two sons, Landon and Liam. His sisters included Sue Andrews and Tammy Ulliman, and his brother Brian died before him.
