Michael Leiter

1962 - 2025

Michael Brian Leiter died unexpectedly after a brief and sudden illness on May 13, 2025 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD. He is remembered as a kind and gentle man, who lived with integrity.

Born in 1962, Mike grew up in Waynesboro, PA, with his parents and three siblings. As a child, he enjoyed collecting baseball cards, riding his bike, and playing pool. He studied business at Messiah College and later earned an MBA at Hood College.

Following college, Mike joined Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) where he served at Cornerstone Center for Justice and Peace in Denver, CO and then in the BVS recruitment office in Elgin, IL. There, he met his life partner, Cynthia Mason; they married in 1989 and raised two children together.

For much of his career Mike worked as an administrator at non-profit retirement communities. However, along the way, he had a unique mix of work experiences, including stints as a greenskeeper at a golf course, stay-at-home dad, and fundraiser for peace and justice organizations. He was most recently a client services manager at Eder Financial.

Mike was an active community member of Frederick, MD, and of the Living Stream Church of the Brethren. An avid fan of sports and classic rock, he loved cheering on his favorite teams (the Frederick Keys, Baltimore Orioles, and Hood College Blazers), and seeing his favorite bands in concert (Kansas, Toto, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive). Other favorite activities included watching action movies with his son, trying new coffee shops with his daughter, and going on excursions with his wife, including off-season visits to Ocean City, recent trips to Alaska and the Grand Canyon, and neighborhood bike rides. He was looking forward to enjoying even more time with his loved ones in retirement.

Preceded in death by his father Robert Leiter, Mike is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years Cynthia Mason and his children Caitlyn Leiter-Mason (Nathaniel Salzman) and Evan Leiter-Mason. He also leaves behind his mother Barbara Leiter; his siblings Edward (Marcia) Leiter, David (Pat) Leiter, and Julie (Jan) Zimmerman; and a large extended family and community of friends, whom he loved very much.

A memorial service will be held on June 14th, 2025 at 2pm at Trinity United Methodist Church in Frederick, MD, with a musical prelude beginning at 1:40pm. The service will be live-streamed and recorded for later viewing at www.livingstreamCOB.org. Contributions in Mike's honor may be made to the Global Women's Project or the Alzheimer's Association. Michael Leiter