Michael Thomas Slinskey, 56, a lifelong area resident, died June 20 at his home, surrounded by family members.

Michael Slinskey
Michael Slinskey

He was born June 10, 1969, in Beacon and graduated from Beacon High School in 1987. He was employed by Dutchess Recreational Vehicles in Poughkeepsie.

A pillar of the Hudson Valley running scene for over 30 years, Michael competed in over 20 marathons and countless 5K and 10K races. He was a two-time Olympic trial qualifier and won the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in 2012. Mike was a member of the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club and was the founder and coach of Grassroots Running.

Known to many as Coach Slinskey, he has been the track and cross-country coach at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie for over 10 years, bringing home many state championships. He has also coached recreational clubs.

On Sept. 7, 2024, in Highland, he married Katherine Lockhart. He is also survived by his daughter, Meghan Slinskey (Erich); his mother, Carolyn Muller; his stepdaughters, Ellis Lockhart (Evan), Victoria Zinkowski (Tyler), Alexandria Lockhart, and Gabriella Lockhart; his sister, Karen Powles (Bill); KC and Zakai Powles; Billy Powles (Autumn and Gunnar); his mother-in-law, Sarah Hartley; many nephews and nieces, especially Trisha Van Tassel-Betley (Jason) and her children Robert Jackson and Christopher Jackson; and his former wife, Linda Nevelus.

His father, Michael Slinskey; stepfather, Herbie Muller; and brothers, Robert Van Tassel and William Van Tassel, died earlier.

A memorial scholarship will reward students who are passionate about consistently bettering themselves — as he would always say, “Be better today than yesterday because Coach Slinskey says you can!” Checks can be made payable to Our Lady of Lourdes High School, 131 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, with the memo: “In Memory of Mike Slinskey.” A memorial 5K race is being planned.

Behind The Story

Type: Obituary

Obituary: Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.

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J.L. Colandrea

He was a superb human.