Blanca Castillo Spencer

In the rainy early morning of Sunday, December 29, 2024, the soul of Blanca Castillo Spencer (née Blanca Elvira Castillo Cortes) was released to the heavens just as the sun emerged to blaze in the dawn. Born in the small town of Gachantivá of the beautiful Boyacá region of Colombia, Blanca entered this world on September 8, 1928, the fourth of seven siblings. In an era of global economic depression, she nevertheless enjoyed a rich family history filled with the wonder and fantasy of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. She often regaled her family with stories as that of her mother being one of two sisters courted by two brothers with the fragile gift of a basket of eggs delivered on horseback. She navigated young womanhood in Bogotá under the watchful eye of her eldest brother Carlos who motivated her to pursue an education in Social Services. Reluctant to leave her peer sisters Lucila and Victoria, but inspired by the resourcefulness of her brother Tito, she was the first of her family to bravely leave Colombia alone for the United States in 1950 at age 22. Under a grant award from the U.S. Department of State managed by the Children’s Bureau, Blanca studied and practiced social work as a fellow at Fordham University in New York City until 1951. She completed her fellowship and transitioned to Washington, DC where she married and had her first son, Fernando Jacinto Spencer (né Russell) born on August 22, 1952. She remained in Washington where she fortuitously secured her career-launching position teaching Spanish for the Department of State during the creation of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). By the time of her retirement, she had ascended to the role of Senior Language and Culture Coordinating Instructor after over 40 years with FSI. During her time in Washington and at numerous posts abroad, she trained countless ambassadors, diplomats, agents and even a U.S. Vice President with her passion for the Spanish language. She proudly became a U.S. citizen in February 1960, and enthusiastically devoured U.S. history while equally preserving and sharing the rich colonial and indigenous history of Colombia.

After her first marriage, she settled at Arlington Towers apartments (today River Place) in Rosslyn, Virginia, which conveniently was also the original location of FSI’s headquarters. Living there with her dear mother Rosa, doting youngest sister Martika and cherished cousin Blanqui, she commuted by elevator each day with the supreme benefit of always being near to her adored young Fernando. Always accompanied by the women of her family or her dear friend Eddie Ospina, they enjoyed the vivacious parties and cocktails of the 1960s where one day she caught the eye of the charming and handsome architectural engineer William “Bill” J. Spencer. Starting with a conversation struck at a drugstore soda fountain, Bill pursued "his doll" Blanca until she finally married her beloved “Billito” on August 30, 1963. They built a new life together in McLean, Virginia over the course of 49 years of marriage. Loving and unconditionally devoted parents, Blanca and Bill survived raising three more sons and rewarded themselves in retirement with varied world travel and relishing the company of their families and dear friends.

Blanca, or “Blanquita” or “Nanita” among the many terms of endearment she enjoyed, was that mother anyone would be so fortunate to have. A strong woman of high standards for dignity, decency, etiquette, and grace, she constantly counseled her own sons and so many others in navigating this life’s trials and tribulations. She was a passionate and generous matriarch not only to her sons, but to countless other sons and daughters who she felt compelled to look after with genuine concern. She was a fastidious student of the English language learning it on par with her native knowledge of Spanish, to the point where she could edit and correct Bill’s written English. She was the most gracious and consummate host, making the family home a sanctuary for visiting friends or family in transit, festivities and mourning, for relics, items of whimsy, and Bill’s constant work shopping and DIY projects. She was a skilled chemist as a cook who prepared delicious foods that were never the same twice, but always filled with nourishment and heart. She thoughtfully appreciated fine craftsmanship and self-taught tailoring, knitting, crochet and curtain making, all of which adorned her home and family. She was a shrewd negotiator with a keen sense for business, often reviewing, critiquing and editing leases or other real estate documents well into her 90s.

Those of her precious generation are often called “salt of the earth,” but Blanca was the earth itself from which she sowed such rich and loving relationships with everyone fortunate to have known her. She is survived by her sons Wm. John III and Richard Edward, her step-son Michael Emery, grandson Nicholas Wesley, step-grandchildren Sean, Kelly and Catie and their growing families of beautiful great-grandchildren, all of whom she cherished and adored.

Flowers are welcome at Murphy Funeral Home. Donations can also be made to Blanca’s favorite charities, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Wounded Warrior Project, or other organizations with missions of care for the elderly, children or persons with disabilities, such as the AARP Foundation or Seabury Resources for Aging.

Services have already taken place.

Loving Wife of William "Bill" Spencer

William Bill J. Spencer II Obituary - Arlington, VA