John J. Sponski died peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and daughters on Thursday, December 1, 2022. He was a resident of Locust Dale in Madison County, Virginia. John was born on October 21, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, the only son of the late John F. and Jeanette Sponski. 



He was educated at the University of Detroit High School, graduated from Georgetown University where he served as the Cadet Colonel of the Army ROTC, and received his MBA from Michigan State University. He served five years in the U.S. Army, first as an Artillery officer and later as a Military Intelligence officer attached to NATO in Athens, Greece. He began his career in banking with the National Bank of Detroit and continued in this profession at First & Merchants, C&S Sovran, and retired from Bank of America as an Executive Vice President. 

John served on the boards of the Virginia Opera, the Atlanta Opera, the Bank Administration Institute, and the American Bankers Association. In addition, he was Director Emeritus and former Treasurer of the Montpelier Foundation. John also was a former Board Member of the Orange County Free Clinic and the Piedmont Regional Dental Clinic. He actively supported The Orange Boys and Girls Club and helped organize its sailing program. John founded VA Civics, a non-profit organization that promotes constitutional literacy, critical thinking, and civic engagement. VA Civics empowers the next generation of leaders in Virginia by supporting the teaching of the U.S. Constitution in schools and preparing middle school and high school students for state and national “We the People” competitions. 

      John is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Lew Sponski, his three daughters, Casey Corning, Laura Knight, and Samantha Lucas, and six grandchildren: John-Walker Knight, Sidra Dillard, Emily Corning, Sarah Corning, Luca Mastromano, and Ellis Lucas. The family plans a private memorial and respectfully requests that memorial donations be made to VA Civics (Virginia Civics Education, Inc., P.O. Box 186, Orange, VA 22960 / vacivics.org).