Jay Sanford Koths

Jay Sanford Koths, 92, passed away at his beloved home on Sunday, September 9, in the company of family. Jay was born July 22, 1926 in Taylor, Michigan where his father George Koths and mother Elva, with the help of their sons, built the Inwood Gardens flower shop. He started his love of learning and the natural world at a one room school house, went on to get his B.S. degree from Michigan State University, an M.S. degree from Purdue and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Koths joined the Horticulture faculty of the University of Connecticut in 1955 and was involved in the Extension Service, research and teaching. He developed an international reputation for his research contributions to soil microbiology, greenhouse cultivation and environmental systems. His work on horizontal air flow in greenhouses has been adopted worldwide and is a significant advance in greenhouse management. In 1985 Jay was elected a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science and was awarded the Carl S. Bittner Extension Award.

Jay married his college sweetheart, Peggy Edwards, in 1947. Together, in 1960 they designed and built by hand, with the help of their young children, their dream home on a beautiful rock outcropping south of campus. It was a source of joy to the whole family and especially for those engaging in their favorite pastimes there: a sporting game of tennis, swimming or even skiing. They were married for 48 years before Peggy’s passing. Jay married Lynette Bobb in 1997, and they traveled extensively around the world having wonderful adventures when they were not residing at their homes in Venice FL or Storrs. Jay was a creative man who felt all things were doable if you just put your mind to it. And he did.                                            

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