Mike Purzycki, the former mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, died on May 19, 2026.
He was 80–81. Purzycki served as Wilmington’s 56th mayor from 2017 to 2025.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1945, he graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in 1963 and attended the University of Delaware on a football scholarship. He played football for four years at the university, set every Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens receiving record, and earned a degree in history. He later played briefly for the New York Giants, worked in real estate, attended Delaware Law School at night, was admitted to the Delaware bar and served as an attorney for the Delaware Senate.
Mike Purzycki, 80–81, American politician, mayor of Wilmington, Delaware (2017–2025). (death announced on this date)