Michael Eugene Lanspa

Michael Eugene (Mike) Lanspa, 71, passed away at home in Columbia, Maryland on January 16, 2025. Michael was born August 30, 1953 in Omaha, Nebraska to Bernice Mary (Hayes) and Eugene Francis Lanspa, the oldest of four children; he was followed by his brother Steve, sister Rosemary, and youngest brother Tom. He attended Creighton Preparatory School, graduating class of 1971.

After studying criminology at the University of Nebraska Omaha, he worked for the FBI for four years in the fingerprint division, then returned to Omaha and to attend some language classes at University of Nebraska, Lincoln. During a summer immersion course at Middlebury College in Vermont in 1980, he heard about the National Security Agency, and was encouraged to apply. He moved to Laurel, Maryland and began working for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)/NSA as a Russian linguist. It was here that he met Carol Diane Beck, whom he married in 1986. He and Carol moved to Columbia, Maryland and raised two daughters, Rachel (born 1989) and Erica (born 1992). Mike retired in 2011 after 33 total years of service to the government.

Mike had an innate gift for learning foreign languages, continuing to learn and practice new languages during his retirement (most recently learning Mandarin). His mastery of language and creative writing was always evident at work, going above and beyond to write short creative poems in celebration cards for coworkers. Mike also loved spinning tales and seeing how far he could go with a fake story or explanation for something before the person called him out - though people usually enjoyed hearing what he would come up with and how it would end.

Mike had an extensive collection of Stephen King novels, and after retiring discovered a love of horror movies - the lower quality, the better. It was difficult to name a horror movie he hadn’t seen by a certain point. Though Carol was less of a fan, his daughters would join him to watch sometimes (most recently watching the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974 with them).

Mike also enjoyed learning about US history, particularly the Civil War and the American Indian Wars. He had an extensive collection of books and videos on the topic, and (true to form) some language books on different native languages like Lakota.

Raise a glass of Guinness, his favorite beer, in his honor.

Family will receive friends at Witzke Funeral Homes, Inc, 5555 Twin Knolls Rd, Columbia, MD 21045 on Sunday, January 26, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 8300 Old Columbia Road, Fulton, MD 20759, on Monday, January 27, 2025, at 11:00 AM.