Ben-Ami Spaisman

Ben Ami Spaisman
January 9, 1943 – March 3, 2023
Ben Ami Spaisman was born Ben-Ami Szpajzman in Dzizaku U.S.S.R. on January 9, 1943 to Josek and Cypa Szpajzman. Named Ben Ami, "Son of the People," he often spoke with amazement, gratitude, and pride of his parents and their survival and circuitous journey to the United States. In the spring of 2022 Ben was privileged to share with his eldest granddaughters just what that perilous journey looked like with a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
After immigrating to Brooklyn, NY in 1955 Ben became a naturalized American citizen on November 29, 1962. He was a proud and patriotic American. Ben went on to graduate from The City College of New York with an engineering degree. His first position was with Vitro Laboratories with whom he worked as an engineer on the NASA Apollo program at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama in 1966.
He continued to work as an engineer for Vitro and other companies in Washington, DC and in Grenoble, France and obtained his MBA from the George Washington University. In 1971 he sat for the LSAT but ultimately his entrepreneurial spirit led him to purchase a direct marketing company called ACS in 1974. He created several other businesses over the years and consulted in private equity before joining the Mathematical Association of America in 2015 as Chief Business Officer. Ben loved the mission and his role at the MAA and enjoyed sharing his business expertise as he mentored others. He never intended to retire and said working kept him young. He was formulating plans for what he called the "Act III" of his life to include writing a book and forming a new consulting company.
Anyone that met Ben over the years knew he was a diehard Washington Capitals fan and was a season ticket holder for over forty years. In 2018 when they became the Stanley Cup Champions he proclaimed, "Now I can die a happy man!" Ben was an avid information junkie and for years read multiple newspapers and watched the news several hours each evening. He loved travel, good wine, good coffee, and good food and held particular tastes for each. He was also a history buff and read all the biographies he could get his hands on with Winston Churchill being his favorite subject.
Of all his passions family was the nearest to his heart. He was a proud father and grandfather and took great pleasure in watching his beautiful and talented granddaughters grow through each stage. He enjoyed mentoring his son who followed in his entrepreneurial footsteps but he was most proud of the fact that Erica and Elliot are wonderful parents each to their two girls. He met Michelle later in life and they were inseparably devoted to each other reading the same books, attending hockey games, and spending quiet evenings at home. Most warm weekends were spent walking through Georgetown and lying by the pool where Ben loved listening to his 50's and 60's playlist. He took great pride in his ability to recognize almost any pop song from that era in just a few bars.
Ben became ill in October 2022 and fought bravely for his life and health. Regretfully Ben succumbed to his illness in the hospital and went to his final rest on March 3, 2023. He was a kind, gentle, funny, integrous, generous, and amazing man. A father, grandfather, partner, friend, and mentor. He was well loved and will be missed by all who knew him.
Ben is preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Zypora Spaisman. Ben is survived by; his partner Michelle Lisk Walker of Washington DC, his daughter and son-in-law Erica and Hobbs Allison of Austin TX, his son and daughter-in-law Elliot and Terra Adler Spaisman of Bethesda MD, four granddaughters Lilly Jayne Allison, Paige Allison, Sydney Spaisman, and Sloan Spaisman, his cousin Gilda Zuckerman Shani and Dr. Jacob Shani and family of NY NY, and Michelle's daughter and son-in-law Brittany Walker and Brad Mahoney of SLC Utah.
A Graveside service will be held on Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 1PM at Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park with a reception to follow at the Spaisman home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Ben's name to the Mathematical Association of America (MAA.org) and/or (mightycause.com/story/Maaben)