Eulogy

When I think of Reed as a child, I remember how much he loved exploring the ravine next to our house. More than half of his summers were spent wandering through the woods, looking for bugs under rocks and along the creek, climbing trees, catching humming birds, and generally doing things that would have given his parents gray hair or a stroke if they knew what he had been up to. He had a very adventurous spirit and was always up for a challenge, he was competitive, a great leader, an avid learner, and a good example to his family, spunk, creativity and determination were some of the many qualities he possesed.

I have to share one memory that really illustrates Reed's fearless, and sometimes impulsive, nature. Some of the neighbor dogs were growling and bearing teeth at his little brothers, Reed, being a natural protector, decided to hit one of them on a head with a big stick and chase it off, the other one got a rock in the ribs. This was when he was just 7 years old. As he got older he ventured to even greater heights, he played as many sports as possible until high school, and then tapered off to refine his skills in just a couple.

Another example of his daredevil spirit was when he took his toboggan off the edge of the ravine, sailing to at least thirty feet and landing head first in super deep powder wich was even colder than I would ever know, as he said. His cheeks were purple and he was pawing out snow from the inside of his jacket, crawling across the ravine. On his way he broke through the ice in our pond and almost drowned, thanks to his father though, he was rescued and propped up in front of the fireplace to thaw out for a good couple of hours.

He also had a very caring and tender heart, when he found a small kitten behind his parents workplace he chased it up a tree and grabbed the thing, biting him in the side of the hand and scratching him in numerous places he hauled it inside. Where upon release in their office ran underneath the desk and into a nut jar, crammed in to the smallest space it could possibly fit in, Reed panicked. He had always had a soft spot for little animals and hopeless things, his dad came to the rescue once again cutting the jar off from around it with a pair of tin snips. But this was not the only time Reed showed such care for something. He was once sent by his mother to get some pizza for him and his brothers at Costco, but on his way out with it he saw a man who was much less fortunate than him, leaning on a cane and dressed in tatters with a foot and a half long beard, Reed felt thrilled and happy to give his share of Pizza and the remaining change to the man. Caring for those who could not care for themselves had always been something Reed felt very encouraged to do. This unfortunate, heroic, tragedy was no exception, his father would be proud

More than a simple risk taker, Reed was brave, as I'm sure many of you here this morning can attest to. He was always there for his family and ready to help friends in times of trouble. His work as a investor and mechanical engineer became his greatest passion, and he put in tireless hours designing prosthetic and donating to charities.

When you combine the facts that Reed was a kind soul, brave, and willing to take risks, it's not difficult to understand why he rushed into his neighbors burning house to save those in need. Yes, maybe they were already dead, but that wasn't how Reed would have thought about it. He worried about their baby, that young life, and the possibility of missing an opportunity to make a difference. He set any thoughts of his safety aside when he went into that house. Of course, we now know that he never made it to this family’s rescue. We can second guess Reed's decision with hindsight, or we can embrace the fact that he died doing something to make a difference and gave his life for a greater purpose. Something that he thought was more important. He was brave, and very courageous, he would always do the right thing.

One thing you may or may not know is that Reed was a huge hunting fanatic. He particularly loved elk hunting, and he once shot a seven by seven bull elk that scored 355 with his dad who shot a six by six two hours prior. He was also a wonderful father to four boys and a girl, he always had a special way with kids, he taught them good work ethics and a strong set of morals. He was involved in all of their sports teams at one time or another and loved to help them on their homework, he cooked cleaned and pulled his weight around the house as well as at the workplace.

Knowing him as I did, I can tell you that his only regret about going into that house that night was that leaving his loving wife and precious children behind. As passionate as he was about doing the right thing, his wife was truly the love of his life, and he would have done anything for his kids. It may comfort us all a bit to realize that Reed is now reunited with his beloved parents, Roz and Marty, and that someday we'll all be together again when we go to heaven. And that this is only a brief parting in the larger scheme of life.

His youngest, Madalin, just graduated high school this last spring with a 3.78 GPA. And his son Christopher beat his old hunting record with even a bigger bull, scoring 413. And Jimmy became a preacher and a full time missionary in Belize. Giving his best to the helpless and poor of spirit is something that is going to be passed on for generations in the Rodgers lineage. Family pride, love, compassion, and competition have been some of the most memorable and obvious characteristics of this great man. If he was here right now, i’m sure he would be proud of how we have chosen to remember him.