Ira L. Reiss Obituary (1925 - 2024)

Age 98, of Minneapolis, passed away on January 9th 2024. Preceded in death by his wife, Harriet Reiss; and sister, Carol Lebost. He is survived by his children, David Reiss (Sue), Pam Russ (Brian) and Joel Reiss (Shira); and six grandchildren. In his own words, Ira “was a man whose life was blessed by the love and devotion of his wife and his children.” Ira was born on December 8, 1925 in New York City. He earned his B.S. from Syracuse University, his M.A. and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University and his doctoral course work in sociology and philosophy was done at Columbia University. In 1969, he took a job at the University of Minnesota as a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Family Study Center. His areas of research included sexuality, gender roles, and family. He won a number of awards for his research and theory efforts. He wrote 14 books, four monographs and over 150 professional papers. He retired from the University faculty in 1996 as professor emeritus, but his professional work continued right up to the present time. Ira was passionate about many things in life, especially his career and his family. He loved his wife, “sweet wonderful” Harriet, and was extremely proud of his children, grandchildren and their partners. He loved to debate and argue, and he was an optimist, for both himself and other people. He believed “our good influence on each other and on other people will last and exist over the future generations after we pass away.” Services have been held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kinsey Institute. https://kinseyinstitute.org/support/index.php