Jeanette Emma (Ulrich) Sperry (1919 - 2005)

Born 30 May 1919 in Amboy, Blue Earth, Minnesota, USA

Wife of Albert Bowen Sperry Jr — married 8 Sep 1941 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Died 10 Feb 2005 at age 85 in Loveland, Larimer, Colorado, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Paul Thompson [send private message]

Biography

Jeanette Emma Ulrich was borh 30 May 1919 in Amboy, Blue Earth County, Minnesota^[1], daughter of William August Ulrich (1875-1959) and Emma Marie Christine Ludtke (1887-1966). Her parents operated a grocery store in the same building where they lived, five miles outside the town. Although her family spoke English, she went to school for a time in a German-speaking parochial school. As a high school sophomore Jean contracted polio and spent six months in a state hospital for crippled children, received some primitive therapy and leg braces. Later through hard work and staying active, she was able to ditch the leg braces.

In 1941 Jean was invited to visit relatives in La Mesa, California. Her aunt liked to organize picnics for the young servicemen at the nearby military bases in San Diego, and Jean would help her. At one of these events she met a young radio man from San Francisco, Albert Bowen Sperry Jr (1918-2013). Albert and Jean hit it off, and with their shared musical interest began attending concerts together. Realizing time was short and they would soon be separated, Albert proposed marriage, and Jean accepted. They were married at the home of Albert's father in San Francisco just 50 days after they had first met, on 8 Sep 1941. Albert immediately shipped out to Hawaii, and was on the island of Oahu on 7 Dec 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Albert spent 26 months overseas, then was assigned to Moffit Field, at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, when he returned. Jean rejoined him then, and they rented an apartment in nearby Mountain View, then later in Alameda. It wasn't until Albert was discharged from the Navy in 1945 that the couple first cooked meals together. The first two children, John William and Michael Robert, arrived in Oakland, California during this period. In 1948 Albert enrolled at Mankato State College, where they lived with Jean's parents, and then the University of Minnesota to learn electrical engineering and business administration. He completed his bachelor's degrees in 1953 and joined the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California. The family lived at 1077 Brighton Place in Mountain View^[2]. Two more children arrived then, Penelope "Penny" Ann and David Peter.

In 1964 a promotion for Albert took the family to another Hewlett-Packard division in Loveland, Colorado^[3]. There he became active in his Presbyterian church and in the local camera club. With health issues starting to build up, Penny and her family moved in with them^[4], and they built a house together in 2003. Jean passed away on 10 Feb 2005 age 85^[1][5]. They had been married for more than 63 years.

Acknowledgement

Some of the biographical information in this profile was provided in personal correspondence with Jean Sperry.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K7T-42N9 : 10 February 2023), Jeanette Ulrich Sperry.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Palo Alto, California, City Directory, 1954. Accessed 6 Jul 2023 at https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/252516964:2469.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Loveland, Colorado, City Directory, 1973. Accessed 6 Jul 2023 at https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1501078754:2469.
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: 1993-2002 White Pages. Little Rock, AR, USA: Acxiom Corporation. Accessed 6 Jul 2023 at https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/37011526:7339.
5. ↑ Find-a-Grave memorial #225757892, Jeanette Ulrich Sperry. Accessed 6 Jul 2023 at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/225757892/jeanette-u.-sperry.

• Additional data and sources at:
  https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/111338365/person/370086702992/facts.
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4MH-71D : Sat Jun 03 05:34:24 UTC 2023), Entry for Wilhelm A Ulrich and Emma M Ulrich, 1920.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X3CR-39S : accessed 6 July 2023), Janet Ulrich in household of Will A Ulrich, Pleasant Mound, Blue Earth, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 31, sheet 7A, line 18, family 131, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1080; FHL microfilm 2,340,815.
• "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSVJ-WW6 : Tue Jun 13 08:13:37 UTC 2023), Entry for William Ulrich and Emma Ulrich, 1940.
• "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F9Z-7LQ1 : Tue Feb 14 20:23:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Albert B Sperry, Jr and Jean E Sperry, 13 April 1950.