Michael Germano, Former Ambassador College Academic Dean and Living University President, Dies at 87

Dr. Michael Perry Germano, who served as an academic dean at Ambassador College and later as president of Living University at the Living Church of God headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, died Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at the age of 87, according to an obituary published by McEwen Funeral Service-Mint Hill Chapel. The notice says he died in Mint Hill, North Carolina, after what it describes as a lengthy, courageous battle with various difficult health issues, surrounded by his family.

Born April 15, 1937, in Spring Valley, Illinois, to Renatto Michael Germano, D.D.S., and Jayne Alice Hartman Germano, he was active in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Hopkins High School in 1955 and received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1959.

The obituary states that he learned of the Church of God while still studying at the University of Illinois and was baptized in 1959. He enrolled at Ambassador College the following fall and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies in 1961. After graduation he was hired full-time to assist Dr. Floyd Lochner as Vice-Principal of Imperial Schools.

He continued his studies at the University of Southern California, earning a Master of Science in 1966 and a Doctor of Education in 1968, both in Educational Leadership and Administration. He received a Doctor of Law from the University of La Verne in 1980 and a Master of Arts in Archaeology/Anthropology from Texas A&M University in 1999.

According to the obituary, he served on the faculty and administration of Imperial Schools and later Ambassador College from 1960 to 1978. He was later executive director of the Orange County Center of West Coast University and taught business law from 1979 to 1981, then practiced law privately from 1981 to 1987. He was named academic dean of Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1987 and served in that role until 1996. He also served as vice president of academic services at Haywood Community College in Waynesville, North Carolina, and then as president of Living University at the Living Church of God headquarters in Charlotte. He was ordained into the ministry in 1983.

The obituary describes him as a lifelong learner with interests in genealogy, archaeology, early church history, technology, and science fiction. He created and maintained a personal Biblical archaeology website for many years and travelled to sites where he took part in excavation and research, a practice of preserving the record of the past (Psalm 78:4). He is survived by his wife, Brenda E. Germano, and by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at McEwen Funeral Service-Mint Hill Chapel, 7428 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill, North Carolina. Funeral services will follow immediately. He will be buried at Granville Cemetery in Granville, Illinois.

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