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POLAND -- Christopher J. Sweeney, Ph.D., YSU Emeritus Professor of Psychology of Boardman and Harwich Port, Massachusetts, passed away on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.
He was a professor at Youngstown State University for 43 years.
He was born in Boston in 1940 to John and Adelaide Sweeney, the third of eight children.
Chris graduated from high school at Holy Cross Seminary in New York. From there he earned a bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Boston College; a master's degree from Northeastern University; and a doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a National Defense Education Act Fellow.
Before joining the psychology department in 1968 as an associate professor of psychology at Youngstown State University, he had been a lecturer at Northeastern University in Boston and a visiting assistant professor at Northern Iowa University in Cedar Falls, Iowa. After being promoted to full professor of psychology at YSU, he was named Distinguished Professor of Teaching and Scholarship. He had a number of publications in professional journals. He retired as a full-time faculty member in 2007 and then taught as an adjunct faculty member until 2012.
Over the many years he lived in Ohio, he was active in both the university and community. Among the posts he served in the community were as a board member of the Potential Development Center; a board member of the Child and Adult Mental Health Center; a member of the United Way's Planning Committee; and a board member of the Ohio Council of Community Mental Health Centers. At Youngstown State University, Dr. Sweeney was a member of the Academic Senate; a member and then chairman of the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum committee; a chairman of the Maag Library committee; a member of the College of Arts and Sciences student appeals committee; a member of the College of Arts and Sciences promotions committee; a member of the university's professional conduct committee; a chairman of the psychology department's scheduling committee; and a member of the graduate school as well as serving on many other committees.
He was a previous member of various professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association; the American Psychological Society; the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis: An International Organization; the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology; the National Center for Science Education; and the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. He was an associate member of the Council for Secular Humanism; a member of the Center for Inquiry; and a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Dr. Sweeney was listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World and received their Lifetime Achievement Award. He was licensed as a psychologist by the Ohio State Board of Psychology.
Chris was a voracious reader of nonfiction, especially of psychology, psychiatry, history and religion; an avid follower of all college and professional sports; an eager deep-sea fisherman--he fished the waters of Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay as well as the Bahamas; and, in his age group of 45-plus years, as a B-level racquetball player, he was previously ranked 18 statewide by the Ohio Racquetball Association. He formerly competed in a number of racquetball tournaments in Ohio and Pennsylvania, in both singles and doubles competition and placed first or second in many of those events; he also enjoyed trading stocks in the stock market as well as playing other casino-style games of chance.
He leaves his much-loved spouse, Nancy; his beloved three adult children, Christopher (YaTing) of Florida, Daniel (Leslie) of Pennsylvania and Rachel (Brian), also of Pennsylvania; and his cherished granddaughter, Kayleigh, of Ohio and beloved grandson, Jason, of Florida. He also leaves his siblings, Kathleen, David and Mary (Ed), all of Massachusetts; along with numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and their children.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Maurice, John and Joseph; and a sister, Teresa, all of Massachusetts.
Friends may call 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at the Davis-Becker Funeral Home.
Visit www.beckerfuneralhomes.com to send the family condolences and share your memories.
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