Milos Jerry Koutsky

Milos Jerry Koutsky

 May 28, 1936, to July 12, 2025

Retired US Navy Commander & Retired San Diego Deputy Sheriff Sergeant

Milos Passed away peacefully during the early morning hours on July 12th, 2025. Milos will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. As the eldest of two sons, Milos was preceded in death by his naturalized Czech American parents Jerry & Millie Koutsky. Milos was also preceded in death by his wife (of 55 years) Jean Koutsky.

Among the many who will miss him dearly, Milos is survived by his brother Ronald Koutsky and Ronald’s wife Patricia Koutsky as well as his daughter Karen Pabon, although preceded in death by Karen’s husband, (Milos’ son-in-law) Paul Pabon. Milos is also survived by his son David Koutsky and David’s wife (Milos’ daughter-in-law) Dawn Koutsky.

Milos was also a beloved grandfather and is survived by Steven Kennard and his wife Maria Kennard, Brenda Babb and her husband Chris Babb, Aaron Koutsky and his wife Megan Koutsky, Breckon Koutsky and his wife Leslie Koutsky. 

Also, as a beloved great grandfather, Milos will be greatly missed by Steve and Maria’s sons Benjamin Kennard and Corbin Kennard along with Breckon and Leslie’s daughter Amelia Koutsky. 

Milos also dearly loved, and will be deeply missed, by all the spouses, siblings, friends, and relatives of each member of our family and by those within each of their own families, that Milos had the opportunity to know, thereby literally extending Milos’ loving impact all around the world.

As a young boy Milos was always a dreamer with a vivid imagination. As Milos grew up in the neighborhoods around Chicago he often thought of traveling, but not only in the sense of just going to other places around the globe, as a boy Milos also dreamt of traveling to space as well as traveling through time. This was all evidenced by the vast amount of knowledge that Milos amassed on subjects like modern and ancient history and astronomy throughout his life. 

In the Boy Scouts and in high school Milos established many lifelong friendships including the one with his high school sweetheart and wife Jean. True to his self-imposed purpose and drive, some of Milos’ first jobs were as city pool lifeguard and caretaker at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. At the zoo Milos took care of animals and did ground-keeping work too. Since Milos had become an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts, and thrived in situations that required commitment and responsibility it was not much of a stretch nor much of a surprise, that Milos would eventually make the decision to enlist in the military.   

Milos joined the US Navy and soon after he enlisted, he was headed off to boot camp, officer training, and flight school to prepare to for a life of service to the United States of America. During the years that followed, Milos’ active-duty Navy career took him all over the world, and his family from the mid-west, to down south, then to the west coast, then to the east coast, and then back again to the west coast. Throughout those years Milos became a husband and a father. Milos’ active-duty Navy life was one that was full of risk service and adventure. As a Navy pilot (fixed wing and helicopters, though primarily helicopters) the US Navy provided Milos with the opportunity to serve our country in a wide variety of roles ranging from rescue pilot, Apollo capsule recovery team member, to flight deck catapult officer, and even as a flight- line inspector at “Top Gun, Fighter Town USA, NAS Miramar”. Ultimately Milos’ time in the Navy concluded and he retired from the Navy at the rank of Commander. Milos’ passion to fly; However, never dimmed.

Based on inside some information, and a handshake promise that the San Diego Sheriff’s department would soon receive a grant enabling the department to create the aviation squadron known as “Astrea”, at the age of 35, Milos entered the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department's Law Enforcement Academy as a Cadet. Upon graduation, for about a year, Milos drove a patrol beat that extended from Solana Beach to Valley Center (according to legend, without ever writing a single ticket) until the day Astrea was born, and Milos could fly again. Milos flew Astrea from 1971 through 1973 and ultimately retired from the Sheriff’s department many years later at the rank of Sergeant.  

Milos’ later years were spent traveling the world again and retracing the path of many of his Navy deployments this time with his wife Jean. Milos also continued his service and held a job working on Graffiti Removal for the city of San Marcos. Milos also spent some of his free time building highly detailed model airplanes and helicopters (from scratch), singing in a men’s barbershop chorus, and (full circle), volunteering some of his time at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.

 Milos’ love of his family and all people, the wonders of the world and of the universe, nature, art, music, and flying is his legacy and it lives on throughout his family and all that knew him, and it always will.

If you wish to make a donation in Milos name, please donate to Tunnels to Towers (T2T.org), a charity that was very dear to him.

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