Obituary of Mark Henry Sproule-Jones

MARK SPROULE-JONES, BSc(Econ), MA, PhD
December 19, 1941 — May 29, 2025

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Mark Henry Sproule-Jones, who died suddenly on Thursday, May 29, in Guelph at the age of 83. He was the only son of the late Canon Henry Rees and Mrs. Melville Sproule-Jones, and brother of the late Patricia (Pat) Price. He leaves to mourn his daughters Megan and Amy (Dev), grandchildren Julia, Mark, Sam, and Robyn, former wives Linda Sproule-Jones and
Louise Knox with her sons Andrew (Stephanie) and David (Maia), as well as his brother- in-law Bruce, cousins, nieces, and nephews in the UK and US. Mark was born in Grosmont, a small village in south Wales. Nine years later, he moved with his family to Tredegar and then later to Newport—such was the often-difficult reality for children of clergy. But Mark made great and lasting friends at Newport High School, who grieve with us today. He was accepted into the London School of Economics in 1960 and, four years later, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Indiana University in the United States. There, he met his future wife, Linda. They were married in 1966 and moved two years later to Canada when he obtained an assistant professorship at the University of Victoria. In 1982, Mark and his family moved to Hamilton, Ontario, where he continued his career at McMaster University as full professor of political science, holding the V.K. Copps Chair in Urban Studies and later the position of Pathy Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies at Princeton University. Mark was proud to have reached his personal goal of promotion to full professorship and a chair by the age of 40.

Mark’s academic career can be measured in part by his refereed publications, including 11 books and monographs and 100 journal articles in the fields of public choice theory, federalism, citizen participation, and resource management. He won multiple large-scale research grants and Hamilton’s Environmentalist of the Year Award (2005) because of the central role he played in the development of the Hamilton Harbour
Remedial Action Plan, serving twice as president of the Bay Area Restoration Council and founding president of Environment Hamilton. Despite that illustrious career, he often joked that he would have preferred to be a professional cricket player.

Mark was widely known for his quirky sense of humour, his passion for cricket and rugby, his love of Shakespeare, music, and of course a good cup of tea. He had a flair for the dramatic, bursting into song (typically the great Welsh hymn tune, Cwm Rhondda) at unexpected moments or regaling his grandchildren with his version of the Māori Haka war dance. He loved to travel and explore new places, whether in person or through the world of books and film. He had a kind heart and a generous spirit. He will be deeply missed.

Visitation will be held at Brombal Funeral Home, 1 Delhi St., Guelph, on Sunday, June 8, from 3:30-6:00 pm. The funeral will take place at St. George’s Anglican Church, 99
Woolwich St., Guelph, on Monday, June 9, at 1:00 pm. The service will also be live streamed on St. George’s YouTube channel for those who are unable to attend in person (www.saintgeorge.ca, click “watch online”). Reception to follow at the church. For those so inclined, a donation in memory of Mark to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada or to the Anglican Diocese of Niagara 150 th Anniversary Curacy Fund would be meaningful and appreciated.