Joseph Michael Spiak

Joseph Michael Spiak, 46, died Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003, when the U.S. Airways commuter plane he was traveling in crashed on take-off in Charlotte, N.C.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, an educational trust fund has been established at Citizens Bank, 272 Great Road, Littleton, Mass., attention: Virginia Longland. Donations will be made to the "Children of Joseph Spiak."

Joe Spiak was born in Troy, N.Y., in 1956, to Anthony and Palavia (Kawola) Spiak. He grew up in Latham, N.Y., and graduated from Shaker High School, where he participated in football, lacrosse, and track, and became and Eagle Scout. It was there that he met Jill Langston, his future wife and life-long soulmate. Joe and Jill had two children, Michael, 14, and Kristin, 12. Joe attended Norwich University and graduated from Clarkson University with a bachelor's degree in finance. In college, he played football and lacrosse. After graduating from Clarkson, Joe went to work for Dow Chemical in Moorestown, N.J. Shortly thereafter, he joined WR Grace in the Boston area, where he started as sales representative and quickly progressed to product manager. Joe was chosen for the Boston University Executive MBA Program and successfully completed the program in 1989. Most recently, he served as general manager, responsible for 100 employees. His Grace career spanned 21 years and took him from Cambridge to San Francisco, Dallas and the United Kingdom. Back in Massachusetts, he and his family settled in Acton.

Joe spent all of his free time with his family and was a devoted husband and father. He instilled in his family a love of sports and the outdoors. Joe passed to his children his tenacious work ethic and gift for making the most of the resources available to him, his intelligence, his personality, sense of humor, and especially his time. A lifelong athlete, he recently trained for and ran a marathon with his wife, Jill, for the benefit of Leukemia-Lymphoma Society in honor of Jill's mother, Nancy Langston. Joe was an avid bicyclist and skier. His many high school and college friends joined him and his brother, Matt, on a yearly canoe trip to the Adirondacks, and area of the country Joe truly loved. Joe loved to travel and vacationing with his family, whether to the Carribbean Islands or to the Island of Nantucket for their annual summer get-away with the extended family.

Survivors: Wife of 18 years, Jill; his children, Michael and Kristin; his parents, Anthony and Pavlavia Spiak; sister and brother-in-law, Marybeth and Richard Panock of Lexington; brothers, Matthew and Thomas; sister-in-law, Stephanie, all of Latham, N.Y.; nieces and nephews, Megan Spiak, Joel and Craig Panock and Matthew Spiak; father-in-law, Reuel Langston and his wife, Madeline; and sister-in-law and her husband, Barbara Langston and Paul Rowe.