Jetse Sprey

Jetse Sprey died peacefully on June 1, 2019 at the age of 93. He was born October 24, 1925 in Arnhem, Netherlands and grew up in Hilversum. His teen years under German occupation in WWII were a key part of his identity. He was drafted into the Dutch Army in 1945 and stationed in Java. When he returned to the Netherlands, he studied at the University of Amsterdam and earned an undergraduate degree in Sociography and a Doctorandus degree in Social Geography. In 1955 he moved to the United States to attend Yale University where he earned a Masters Degree in Southeast Asia Area Studies and a Ph.D. in Sociology. He accepted a faculty position at Franklin and Marshall College in 1959. There he was assigned a course in the Sociology of Marriage and the Family, which became the focus of the majority of his subsequent scholarship. In 1964, he joined the Sociology Department at Case Western Reserve University. During his career he contributed numerous articles to family and sociology journals, primarily on family theory, as well as many book chapters. He was a founding member and regularly presented papers at the Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop that met annually in conjunction with the National Council on Family Relations. He was editor of the Journal of Marriage and the Family from 1982-1985. He retired in 1991. He published his first article in 1962 and his last in 2013. Throughout his life he kept tropical fish tanks. He was an avid and eclectic reader. He snorkeled in the Caribbean and traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. He was preceded in death by his son Malcolm. He is survived by his sons Carlton and Pieter and his current wife of almost 40 years, Sarah Matthews. Donations in his memory may be made to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, 206 E State Street, Columbus, 43215 or online at supportppgoh.org. SERVICES PRIVATE.