Martin “Mike” H. Sokolow Jr., passed away quietly surrounded by his loving family, on Sunday September 20, 2020, at the age of 72. Mike was born in New York City on July 12, 1948 and was the son of the late Martin H. Sokolow and Eleanor (Litt) Sokolow.  

Mike is survived by his wife of 40 years Denny Sirotta, his son David Sokolow and his wife Sabrina Correll, and his daughter Ellie Sokolow and her husband Barrett Zlotoff. Mike is also survived by his brother Tony Sokolow and his sister Jane Sokolow.  “Baba,” as he was affectionately known, will be greatly missed by his grandsons Sam and Zeke. 

Mike graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1966. He attended Yale University where he obtained his BA in English in 1970 and Masters in Forest Science in 1972. In 1981, Mike earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Prior to attending law school, Mike served as an elementary school and English teacher at the Community Learning Center and the Horace Mann School. He loved teaching students and continued this mentoring spirit as he entered the legal profession. 

In 1986, Mike embarked on a 29 year career with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protectio (“DEP”), where he served as Regional Counsel in the Harrisburg Office. At DEP, Mike worked primarily on mining and water quality issues, helping to preserve and restore streams throughout Pennsylvania. Mike concentrated on complex negotiations and complicated problems, among them, a tricky water issue at the site of the Flight 93 Memorial. 

Following his retirement, Mike served on the board of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy continuing to protect Pennsylvania’s wetlands.

Throughout his life, Mike was a man of many and varied interests. He enjoyed growing orchids and clivias as well as gardening around his and Denny’s home, growing wildflowers to attract butterflies. Mike obtained fame for his homemade fruit jams. He loved flying kites, reading mystery novels, and watching baseball, soccer, and football. 

 In lieu of flowers, Mike’s family has asked that donations be made in his name, to the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy at https://centralpaconservancy.org/.