Landy Ferris Sparr

Dr. Landy Ferris Sparr, a distinguished psychiatrist, scholar, and educator, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2025, at the age of 82 in Beaverton, Oregon. Dr. Sparr dedicated 43 years to advances in mental health care, medical education, and forensic psychiatry.

Landy Ferris Sparr was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 2, 1943, to parents Stanley Nelson Sparr and Adele Ferris Sparr. Landy’s family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, soon after his birth, and he grew up there alongside his younger sister, Nina.

Dr. Sparr’s academic journey began with a degree in History from the University of Wisconsin, later earning a Master’s in American Intellectual History in 1968. While beginning work on his PhD in history, he changed directions and earned a Medical Degree from the same institution in 1976. He completed his psychiatric residency training in 1979 at the University of Pittsburgh under Dr. Thomas Detre, laying the foundation for a lifelong commitment to excellence in mental health.

He met his wife, Michele (Micki), while in medical school, and they were married in Pittsburgh in 1979. The couple then decided to move across the country to Portland, Oregon, where Landy began his career as a Psychiatrist for the VA Hospital in Portland and an academic appointment at the OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University) Medical School.

During his tenure at the VA, he held the positions of Acting Chief of the Mental Health Clinic, Acting Chief of Psychiatry (1994-2000), and Acting Clinical Director of the Mental Health Division. As a faculty member of OHSU, he achieved the rank of Associate Professor. Dr. Sparr created the Forensic Fellowship in Psychiatry at OHSU and was the Fellowship Director for 16 years.

He was a respected contributor to academic knowledge with numerous journal publications, and book chapters, and invited lectures that addressed critical topics in forensic psychiatry, PTSD, trauma, disability, human rights, and the international criminal justice system. In 2006, he founded the OHSU Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. His influence extended internationally, including being an expert witness at the United Nations International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague in 1998, presenting at the International Congress on Law and Mental Health in 2002, and being chosen as a Fulbright Scholar, spending six months in Sarajevo in 2010 to explore PTSD issues related to the Bosnian war.

He was an avid runner and entered more 5K and 10K events than could be counted. He also organized teams to run in the Hood to Coast relay for many years, including the very first one in 1982. Landy was a sports fan and never wavered in his support for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Portland TrailBlazers; he was a Blazers season ticket holder for more than 30 years. He also had a love for Minis. He owned a vintage 1976 Mini that he enjoyed showing at the All British Field Meet in Portland. He and his wife traveled extensively in the US, visiting most major cities as well as traveling abroad. They enjoyed Portland’s outstanding restaurants and Oregon’s excellent wines. They had a passion for theater and often traveled twice a year to enjoy what they considered world-class productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for nearly 40 years. Landy’s love of theater prompted him to establish an annual meeting of the Oregon Psychiatric Association in Ashland that included a panel discussion of one of the plays with actors and theater professionals as part of the program.

His greatest love of all was his three children. He was immensely proud of them and their accomplishments and bragged about them shamelessly.

He is survived by his wife, Micki, his sister Nina Marie Sparr of Madison, daughter Nina Patricia Sparr (Spencer Morris), Sons Nicholas Andrew Sparr (Young-Eun Park), Cameron Landy Sparr (Nuria Codina), and grandchildren Piers Roemer, Ona Codina Sparr, and Anton Codina Sparr.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 9, at 3:30 pm at Skyline Memorial Gardens, Portland.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be considered to the OHSU Foundation - Parkinson’s Research donate.ohsufoundation.org/landy-sparr or to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (mail checks to OSF, 15 S. Pioneer Street, Ashland, OR 97520 in memory of Landy Sparr).