Reed Scott Harry

September 14, 1964 – August 7, 2026

Reed Scott Harry, 61, of Portland, Oregon, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on August 7, 2026. He was born on September 14, 1964, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spent his life in service to other people.

Reed was a Pararescue Specialist in the United States Air Force and a graduate of Pararescue Class 84-002. He was an exceptional athlete. His classmates called him “the Rabbit” because they were always trying to catch him, and usually couldn’t. He later served at Detachment 9, 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, in Zaragoza, Spain. Years later he came back to pararescue as a reservist, completed HALO school in Yuma, Arizona, and earned the Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with star device, including a perfect 40 out of 40 on the M16 qualification course. Being a pararescueman remained one of his proudest accomplishments.

After the Air Force, Reed became a Lieutenant Paramedic Firefighter with the Albuquerque Fire Department. He posted the highest score anyone had recorded on the department’s paramedic pre-test at that point in time. He would go on to have a career that showed what that score promised: delivering babies in the field (one of them breech), performing three successful cricothyrotomies, countless field intubations, and saving lives that might not have been saved otherwise. Those were only a glimpse of the ways he served Albuquerque for more than 20 years.

Reed picked up soccer easily at 30, after the 1994 World Cup, and played as often as he could—pickup games on the Air Force base and anywhere else he could find them. He and Sarah were at the 1999 Women’s World Cup for group games in Chicago and the final in Pasadena, California. They went on to Euro 2000 and to the Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015.

Reed was an avid outdoorsman. He went into country other people would not attempt, trusting the military and survival skills he had earned when he was young. As a fisherman he seemed to know the right rig for the water, the fish, the time of day, and the season. He took a one-man kayak out on the Willamette and the Columbia, and on the rare days when the tide and the swell were right, he launched from Pacific City and fished off the Oregon coast. Friends and neighbors were never short of salmon or tuna. He was a skilled woodworker, too. His first project was an octagonal picnic table with built-in benches. His last was a complete rebuild of the front staircase at home.

As a father, Reed read Little House on the Prairie to Alana every night, and later to Duncan. After he retired, he and Alana took an epic road trip that included De Smet, South Dakota, to see the real places from the books. In the summer of 2024 he took Duncan to Winter Harbour, British Columbia, where Reed caught the largest halibut of the trip. He took Alana and Duncan mountain biking, camping, and fishing whenever he could. He took real enjoyment in watching them play soccer, and he was extremely proud of the young adults they were becoming. These are only a few of the adventures and memories he made with his family.

He found purpose after retirement in helping others. The minute the roads turned icy, he chained up all four tires on his 4WD and went out to get neighbors unstuck. What mattered most was why he became so capable at so many things. He wanted to be in a position to help, whatever the moment asked.

He had a big heart and a hard time taking praise. He would downplay every accomplishment, or say he could have done it better. The people who loved him knew otherwise.

Reed was preceded in death by his grandparents, Lois and Walter Hopf. He is survived by his mother Janelle, his wife of nearly 28 years, Sarah; his daughter, Alana, 20; his son, Duncan, 17; his mother-in-law, Linda Manning; his brother-in-law Steve Manning, Steve’s wife, Kristy, and their children, Christopher and Chloe; his brother-in-law Scott Manning; and the family cats, Boy (Reed’s favorite), Girl, Beans (not Reed’s favorite), and Booger.

A private family service will be held at a later date. Interment will be at Skyline Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation in Reed’s honor: https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/