Michael Robert Spak's Obituary
Michael Robert Spak, age 62, of Leesburg, VA, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack on January 25th 2010 while on a ski vacation with his family in Vail, Colorado.
Born on November 1st, 1947 in Los Angeles, CA, Mr. Spak was the son of the late Peter Jay Spak and the late Betty Jo Lasnick Spak of Carson City, NV. A brother, David Alan Spak, also predeceased him. Mr. Spak is survived by his beloved wife of 24 years, Kristin Rickard Spak of Leesburg. He is also survived by his three children: Jessica Lynn White of Ashburn,VA, Brian Thomas Spak of Boulder, CO, and Nicholas Michael Spak, also of Boulder; two grandchildren: Kelsey Lynn White and Austin Ray White, both of Ashburn; a sister, Janis Lee Bradley of Carson City, NV; and a host of other relatives and friends.
At the time of his death, Mr. Spak was a prominent business and civic leader in Loudoun County, VA, and had served his country with distinction in a variety of capacities throughout his life. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and completed two tours of combat duty in Vietnam from 1966-1969, where he received numerous medals and commendations. Following his honorable discharge from the Marines in 1969, Mr. Spak joined the Los Angeles Police Department, where he served on the Bomb Squad/Criminal Conspiracy Section for several years, becoming an expert on bomb detection, disposal and investigation. In 1974, Mr. Spak joined the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served for a total of 23 years, first as an officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology and then in the Directorate of Operations. In the context of his work, Mr. Spak traveled the world from the Middle East to Africa and Asia. He also served in multiple long-term overseas assignments in Europe and Latin America and received numerous awards for his contributions to clandestine operations. After retiring from government service in 1996, Mr. Spak started his own company, Virtual Defense & Development International, Inc. (VDI), an international consulting and professional services company specializing in matters of defense, law enforcement, security and intelligence, and post-conflict economic development. He served as President and Chairman of VDI until the time of his death.
In addition to his professional involvement, Mr. Spak was also very active in a number of local business groups and community organizations. He was the founder and Chairman of the local non-profit Loudoun Crime Commission (LCC), a civic organization dedicated to fostering partnerships between private citizens and law enforcement in order to fight crime in Loudoun County; he was a Founder of the newly-constructed National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, VA, and as such was very active in the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation; and he served in the Loudoun County Marine Corps League Detachment, where he most recently held the position of Judge Advocate and was very involved in their annual “Toys for Tots” campaign. In addition, Mr. Spak owned and operated his own vineyard, Amber Creek Vineyard, in Leesburg, VA, and was a member of the Loudoun Winegrowers Association. He was also a lifelong member of the Masonic Lodge.
Mr. Spak held two Bachelor’s degrees from George Mason University and American University, respectively, and at the time of his death was working towards his Master’s degree at American University.
Friends may call on the family on Thursday, February 18 from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at the
Loudoun Funeral Chapel 158 Catoctin Cr. SE in Leesburg. Funeral services will be held
at 10:30am on Friday, February 19 at Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Ashburn Road, Ashburn, VA. Interment will follow at 2:00 pm at Quantico National Cemetery with Marine Corps Honors.
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