"Mr. Stranger defined character and integrity. I was privileged to know him as a member of St. Georges Varsity Sailing Team (he actually left SG in 1972 as I was on the team that year, his last). He tolerated only ones best effort. For those of us on his sailing teams he set high standards and coached with great passion, resulting in many of us becoming not only better sailors, but better members of society. My condolences to all of his family and friends on the loss of this great man."
In loving memory of
Geoffrey Hart Spranger
November 25, 1932 - August 2, 2018
Newport, RI Geoffrey Hart Spranger, 85, of Middletown, RI passed away unexpectedly on August 2, 2018 at Newport Hospital following a brief illness. The only son of the late Joseph William Spranger and the late Ruth Marie (ne Berger) Spranger, Jeff was born in East Providence, RI on November 25, 1932.
Growing up in the Edgewood neighborhood in Cranston, RI, he attended E.S. Rhodes Elementary School and Norwood Avenue Junior High School. He spent two years at Cranston High School before leaving for Massachusetts to study at, and graduate from Mount Herman School in 1951. He then studied at Brown University, where he majored in English, graduating in 1955. While an undergraduate, he was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity and the Brown University sailing team, for which he served as the teams president from 1954-55. He later earned his Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Brown in 1967.
Jeffs lifelong love for sailing took seed at a young age when he was a member at Edgewood Yacht Club. Jeff and his father built a Snipe in 1950, and named it Hot Stuff. The Snipe was his pride and joy, and in 1954 he sailed her to the Narragansett Bay and Edgewood Yacht Club championships, before losing the boat to Hurricane Carol.
While in school, various summer jobs included unit director at Camp Massasoit (Cranston YMCA) 1954-55, sailing instructor at The Pine Orchard Club in Branford, CT 1955-56, and sailing instructor at Bristol and Barrington Yacht Clubs 1955-1960.
Following his graduation from Brown in 1955, he was hired as an English/Sacred Studies teacher, sailing coach and dorm master at St. Georges School in Middletown, RI, where he remained on the faculty until 1971. He was the head sailing coach for his entire tenure at the school, and his dedication to the sport was recognized with his induction into the St. Georges School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He also became involved in the Interscholastic Sailing Association, a commitment which spanned more than 50 years.
In 1958, he purchased Herreshoff Class S-Boat #52 which he re-christened Berserk. Jeff successfully raced Berserk for the next ten years, winning the class championship in 1968.
In 1971, Jeff left teaching at St. Georges School to become an associate editor at the fledgling Sail magazine, where he stayed until 1979 when the editorial offices moved. He then accepted the job of editor for a small, chatty newsletter called The Practical Sailor, steering that publication until 1987. In his final working years, Jeff was the sales room manager at Jamestown Distributors, retiring in 1998.
The highlight of Jeffs racing career was being a member of a Newport to Bermuda Race crew in 1964 on Burgoo, a 37-ft Pearson Invicta, which was the lowest rated boat in the fleet, but finished first in fleet on corrected time. Another high point in his life was his reporting on racing for the Americas Cup, first as a reporter for the Newport Daily News in 1964, 1967 and 1970, and later as co-publisher with Barbara Lloyd of the Americas Cup Report in 1980 and 1983. This work made Jeff perhaps the most informed reporter of this premier racing event for 20 years. In addition to his writing, Jeff lent his insight and accuracy to his on-the-water broadcasts for WADK radio.
Jeffs last boat was Scratch, a one-off Bristol 33 custom yacht which he intermittently spent ten years building from just an empty fiberglass hull. Launched in 1979, Jeff spent the next 40 years both cruising and successfully racing Scratch in numerous fully-crewed races as well as shorthanded races with his wife, Betsy McClintock.
Over the years, Jeff participated in several Newport to Bermuda races, a Caribbean 1500 race, five Marblehead to Halifax races, and numerous Off Soundings races on his friend Bob Reads Pearson 39 yawl Nepenthe. He spent more than 25 years managing/assisting with the race management of the Bermuda One-Two, Offshore 160 Challenge, and New England Solo/Twin Championships three short-handed racing events co-managed by the Newport Yacht Club Offshore Committee.
Jeffs affinity for the water, sailing and racing was second only to his love of the written word. This included reporting on Americas Cup racing, covering a wide variety of topics while at Sail magazine, and his advocacy for his vision of product testing, industry watchdogging, and boatowner advocacy while at The Practical Sailor. His love for the sport of sailing, for fair and wellrun racing, and for nearly every boat afloat, was passionate and undeniable.
Jeff is survived by his wife of nearly 24 years, Betsy (Mary Elizabeth) McClintock, his two children Susan E. (Spranger) Axelrod and Joseph W. (Josh) Spranger, five remarkable grandchildren, numerous family members, and a host of friends, colleagues and crew mates. He will be sorely missed by all.
A celebration of Jeffs life will be held on Friday, September 21, 2018 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at the Newport Yacht Club, 110 Long Wharf, Newport, RI. Burial will be private. Donations in his memory may be made to Brown University Sailing c/o John Mollicone at www.brown.edu/Athletics/Sailing_Club/contact.
Tributes
"My friend Geoff was a good and honest man who cared about others. He could tick you off sometimes, but that was good too. He gave of himself and shared his enthusiasms so that others could share his joy. He will be missed."
"Geoff was a great guy and a gentleman. He never seemed to mind that I was about as ignorant about sailing as the wife of a sailor could be. He enriched the years we worked with High School Sailing. He will be missed."
"I worked with Geoff at Jamestown Distributors for many years. He was full of knowledge that he shared with coworkers and customers alike. I have continued on with a career in the marine business and often think of some technique or product that Geoff knew about and had an opinion on. I'm smiling now seeing him at his desk with a butt and his glasses at the end of his nose, drinking coffee all while wrangling with a customer on the phone about their current boat project and "why would you want to do it like that....?" Fair winds my friend. "
"Mr. Spranger (as I always knew him) was an outstanding teacher and adviser to kid from Asheville who came up to board at a Yankee school. His love of literature and good writing came through in the classroom, and it was contagious.I will always remember learning the serious study of English from him. His acerbic wit was bracing, and it was part of his concern for his students, and preparing usfor trials we would face later.May he rest in peace, and rise in glory."
"Geoff Spranger was the best English teacher I ever had, and that includes college. For some reason, I responded to his sarcasm and browbeating. He taught me how to read critically. He taught me how to appreciate that which is great from merely good. He helped me understand why there was a difference, and that it mattered! His standards were high. I loved every minute of being in his classroom. He gave me a gift far greater than money or anything material. He gave me something that really matters -- a curious mind and the sharp tools necessary to understand writing and create some of my own.My deepest sympathies to Geoff's family and all who also knew and loved him."
"Dear Betsy,I am saddened to hear of your husband's death. I have been thinking of you this week and hope that you are surrounded with loving family and friends. A kiss to you for each cheek."
"On behalf of Brown Sailing, I want to send our sincere condolences to the entire Spranger Family on your loss. Brown Sailing has lost one of its own, and we will do everything we can to keep his spirit alive. Our thoughts and prayers are with you."
"Dear Betsy,joe and I have great fun memories of many times at nyc and beyond... Our first race on Dreamweaver..Scratch was at Paines dock and no one else was there! Or first race and we came in 2nd!!Your wedding and the wedding cake that blew away!! Yikes!, under the Boardwalk.The best of all. Jeff calling to us at sunset as we arrived at st. Georges cut after hurricane Mitch..1998. Our sincere condolences to you and yours.Marge and Joe ScowcroftS/V Dreamweaver (formerly)"
"Deepest condolences to the Spranger family and friends for the loss of your loved one Geoffrey. When Jesus Christ was here on Earth he performed all sorts of astounding miracles.He fed the poor Matthew 14:15-21,cured people from whatever diseases and infirmities they had Matthew 9:35, brought back to life 8 people young and old male and female that had fallen asleep in death one of them was his friend Lazarus that had been dead for 4 days John 11: 11-44 all of them were brought back to life on Earth. Eventually these people would die again this foreshadowed what Jesus Christ will do very soon right here on it brand new Paradise Earth this time no more sickness pain or death Life Without End Revelation 21: 1-5."