Eric S. Corp passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Born December 2, 1944, in Phoenix, Arizona, early in his life the family moved to southern California. He came to western Massachusetts in 1997, fulfilling his pursuit to be an academic neuroscientist. He settled in the area and spent the last 28 years of his life in Amherst and then Belchertown, Massachusetts.
Eric was many things, but "a gentle soul" is one way that people would often describe him. He was also charmingly self-deprecating in a way that led many people to open up and feel connected to him. He was witty, well read and had a keen intellect, making him an engaging and entertaining conversationalist. Eric's laughter was contagious and endearing. He was one of those people who made the world more interesting and exciting.
Eric's life took many twists and turns with difficult years. "Rick," his California family's name for him, had a childhood rich in friends, activities and experiences. From an early age, he loved the beach, body surfing and pool swimming, which strengthened his lungs weakened by chronic asthma. He thrived on hobbies with chemistry sets, microscopes and reading. He learned the trumpet and played "To the Colors" every morning for flag-raising at his elementary school. Band practice and drama class captured his interest and dedication in middle school.
Eric graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963. In his late teens, he and his friends were passionate amateur folk musicians. Eric learned to play the guitar and with his three close friends would regularly play at a fellow musician's house literally all night long. They spent any other free time at coffee houses where they would listen to established and rising folk artists.
In 1967, he married Jane Beaven and became stepfather to Jane's three young children (Leif Eric, Sara Jane, and Ruth Ann). The children have fond memories of hiking the San Gabriel mountains and spending weekends beachcombing the tidepools. Eric was attending graduate school, and they recall lively conversations about psychology—what makes people tick—and the humor in some of the psychological techniques he experimented with (on the family), such as a token economy for behavioral reinforcement and various psychological tests. His passion for psychology inspired them to think deeply about personality and human nature.
Eric earned a B.A. in psychology in 1969 and an M.S. in psychology with a clinical track in 1972, both from California State University Los Angeles. While there he volunteered as a crisis intervention therapist. The family then moved to Austin, Minnesota where he practiced as a psychotherapist. He would often relate the shock this southern Californian felt by the severe cold of his first winter in Minnesota and the euphoria of his first spring there. In 1974, the family moved to Spokane, Washington where he continued his work in the field of psychology as an Involuntary Treatment Officer performing civil commitments. This frequently involved being called into homes to assess persons who were in acute psychological distress.
By 1977, his marriage to Jane ended and he moved to central Washington where he continued his work as a mental health professional. While in Washington, he met Shelley Smith, whom he married in 1979 and later that same year their daughter Jessica Lillian Louise was born.
His time as an Involuntary Treatment Officer led him to believe that the prevailing view of the causes of severe psychiatric disorders was overlooking a biological root. This spurred him to pursue a doctorate in the field of neuroscience which he completed in 1986, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle.
In 1986, after his marriage to Shelley ended, Eric moved east to pursue a fellowship at the E. W. Bourne Behavioral Research Laboratory of Weill Cornell Medicine in White Plains, New York. His research there explored receptors in the brain that were involved with insulin and appetite mechanisms. He eventually was promoted to Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry.
In 1990, he met Elaine Fronhofer whom he married in 1993. In White Plains, Eric and Elaine enjoyed spending free time attending club concerts of folk and blues musicians, exploring hiking trails in the Hudson Valley, long bike rides and other sports, often with Eric's Bourne Lab colleagues.
In the summer of 1997, they settled in Amherst after Eric was hired as a Research Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 1998, their son, Nathaniel Carlock, was born, and in 2001, their son Leif Socrates was born. His sons have fond early memories of him singing them to sleep with folk songs that he would sometimes perform to them on guitar, weekly trips to the library selecting large volumes of books, and bicycle rides.
In his professional career at UMass Amherst, aside from teaching courses in psychology, Eric ran a successful research lab investigating how the brain controls feeding behavior, identifying brain regions and peptides that control food intake. He was also a dedicated and patient mentor who inspired those that trained with him.
In 2012, Eric's marriage to Elaine ended however he and Elaine remained lifelong friends.
In later life, Eric struggled with mental and physical health challenges. He could no longer be a scientist, but his core personality traits of kindness, unwavering courteousness, and wit remained to the end.
Eric was predeceased by his parents, Charles Ives and May Louise (Crook) Corp, his stepdaughter Ruth Swanson in 1981, and stepson, Leif Swanson in 2021. Eric is survived by his sisters Beverly (Dennis) Johnson, of San Clemente, CA, and Mary Corp of Azusa, CA, his stepdaughter Sara Swanson (Mark) Mone, of Milwaukee, WI, and their children, Eric and Emily, his daughter Jessica (Joel Jones) Corp, of Lake Oswego, OR, and their son Gus, his sons Nathaniel Corp and Leif Corp, both of Belchertown, MA, his nephew Nick (Kelly) Johnson, of San Diego, CA, nieces Holly (Otong) Durahim, of Vashon, WA, and Joanne Werthwein of Bridgeport, CA, great-nephews Charlie, Wally, and Sani, and great-nieces Utisah, Hazel, and Willa.
The family would like to thank the staff at Christopher Heights of Belchertown for the remarkable care he received.
There will be a private memorial. Donations in Eric's memory can be made to The Jones Library of Amherst or the environmental conservation charity of your choosing.
Born December 2, 1944, in Phoenix, Arizona, early in his life the family moved to southern California. He came to western Massachusetts in 1997, fulfilling his pursuit to be an academic neuroscientist. He settled in the area and spent the last 28 years of his life in Amherst and then Belchertown, Massachusetts.
Eric was many things, but "a gentle soul" is one way that people would often describe him. He was also charmingly self-deprecating in a way that led many people to open up and feel connected to him. He was witty, well read and had a keen intellect, making him an engaging and entertaining conversationalist. Eric's laughter was contagious and endearing. He was one of those people who made the world more interesting and exciting.
Eric's life took many twists and turns with difficult years. "Rick," his California family's name for him, had a childhood rich in friends, activities and experiences. From an early age, he loved the beach, body surfing and pool swimming, which strengthened his lungs weakened by chronic asthma. He thrived on hobbies with chemistry sets, microscopes and reading. He learned the trumpet and played "To the Colors" every morning for flag-raising at his elementary school. Band practice and drama class captured his interest and dedication in middle school.
Eric graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963. In his late teens, he and his friends were passionate amateur folk musicians. Eric learned to play the guitar and with his three close friends would regularly play at a fellow musician's house literally all night long. They spent any other free time at coffee houses where they would listen to established and rising folk artists.
In 1967, he married Jane Beaven and became stepfather to Jane's three young children (Leif Eric, Sara Jane, and Ruth Ann). The children have fond memories of hiking the San Gabriel mountains and spending weekends beachcombing the tidepools. Eric was attending graduate school, and they recall lively conversations about psychology—what makes people tick—and the humor in some of the psychological techniques he experimented with (on the family), such as a token economy for behavioral reinforcement and various psychological tests. His passion for psychology inspired them to think deeply about personality and human nature.
Eric earned a B.A. in psychology in 1969 and an M.S. in psychology with a clinical track in 1972, both from California State University Los Angeles. While there he volunteered as a crisis intervention therapist. The family then moved to Austin, Minnesota where he practiced as a psychotherapist. He would often relate the shock this southern Californian felt by the severe cold of his first winter in Minnesota and the euphoria of his first spring there. In 1974, the family moved to Spokane, Washington where he continued his work in the field of psychology as an Involuntary Treatment Officer performing civil commitments. This frequently involved being called into homes to assess persons who were in acute psychological distress.
By 1977, his marriage to Jane ended and he moved to central Washington where he continued his work as a mental health professional. While in Washington, he met Shelley Smith, whom he married in 1979 and later that same year their daughter Jessica Lillian Louise was born.
His time as an Involuntary Treatment Officer led him to believe that the prevailing view of the causes of severe psychiatric disorders was overlooking a biological root. This spurred him to pursue a doctorate in the field of neuroscience which he completed in 1986, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle.
In 1986, after his marriage to Shelley ended, Eric moved east to pursue a fellowship at the E. W. Bourne Behavioral Research Laboratory of Weill Cornell Medicine in White Plains, New York. His research there explored receptors in the brain that were involved with insulin and appetite mechanisms. He eventually was promoted to Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry.
In 1990, he met Elaine Fronhofer whom he married in 1993. In White Plains, Eric and Elaine enjoyed spending free time attending club concerts of folk and blues musicians, exploring hiking trails in the Hudson Valley, long bike rides and other sports, often with Eric's Bourne Lab colleagues.
In the summer of 1997, they settled in Amherst after Eric was hired as a Research Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 1998, their son, Nathaniel Carlock, was born, and in 2001, their son Leif Socrates was born. His sons have fond early memories of him singing them to sleep with folk songs that he would sometimes perform to them on guitar, weekly trips to the library selecting large volumes of books, and bicycle rides.
In his professional career at UMass Amherst, aside from teaching courses in psychology, Eric ran a successful research lab investigating how the brain controls feeding behavior, identifying brain regions and peptides that control food intake. He was also a dedicated and patient mentor who inspired those that trained with him.
In 2012, Eric's marriage to Elaine ended however he and Elaine remained lifelong friends.
In later life, Eric struggled with mental and physical health challenges. He could no longer be a scientist, but his core personality traits of kindness, unwavering courteousness, and wit remained to the end.
Eric was predeceased by his parents, Charles Ives and May Louise (Crook) Corp, his stepdaughter Ruth Swanson in 1981, and stepson, Leif Swanson in 2021. Eric is survived by his sisters Beverly (Dennis) Johnson, of San Clemente, CA, and Mary Corp of Azusa, CA, his stepdaughter Sara Swanson (Mark) Mone, of Milwaukee, WI, and their children, Eric and Emily, his daughter Jessica (Joel Jones) Corp, of Lake Oswego, OR, and their son Gus, his sons Nathaniel Corp and Leif Corp, both of Belchertown, MA, his nephew Nick (Kelly) Johnson, of San Diego, CA, nieces Holly (Otong) Durahim, of Vashon, WA, and Joanne Werthwein of Bridgeport, CA, great-nephews Charlie, Wally, and Sani, and great-nieces Utisah, Hazel, and Willa.
The family would like to thank the staff at Christopher Heights of Belchertown for the remarkable care he received.
There will be a private memorial. Donations in Eric's memory can be made to The Jones Library of Amherst or the environmental conservation charity of your choosing.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Eric Sydnor Corp, please visit our flower store.
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