Cyrus (Cy) Adam Reed was born February 11, 1984, to Mark and Lucy-Anne Reed, in Houston, Texas. Cyrus is survived by his parents, Mark and Lucy; sister, Sarah Hobbs; brother-in-law, David Hobbs; and his nieces, Edith Garrison and Grace Hobbs.

Cyrus was a happy, curious, loving child. He was fascinated by trains, fire trucks, anything with sirens and bells, and anything that went “boom.” Cy loved nature, the great outdoors, space exploration, camping, fishing, racing and building stock-cars, and entertaining family and friends. He enjoyed taking things apart just so he could put them back together. He had a wonderful sense of humor, a compassionate heart, and was a man of strong faith.

Cyrus attended school in Alief ISD and was an active Boy Scout, earning his Eagle rank in 2002. He served four years in Marine Corps JROTC, graduating with honors. He was also involved in theater and FFA. It was there, in “Ag. Mech.,” that he discovered a talent for welding, which led him to TSTC in Waco, where he studied welding technology. While in Waco, Cyrus fell in love with central Texas (“God’s Country”) and began his life as a volunteer firefighter. Highlights of his career include Community VFD and Hill County Sheriff’s Department. When his life ended, he was a captain at Abbott VFD, an on-call firefighter at Bynum VFD and Mertens VFD, and had just passed his final EMT exam at West Ambulance, moments before responding to his final call. He was also employed full-time as a maintenance technician at Hunting Titan Specialties, where he gained his training and certification in chemical fire suppression.

On the evening of Wednesday, April 17, Cyrus responded from the classroom at West EMS. His entire life culminated when the tones dropped that night. He had the passion, the heart, the skills, and the knowledge to handle such a fire, and when the call came, he was less than a half mile away. Cyrus and other first responders were lost when the plant exploded about 20 minutes after they arrived. They lost their lives so that others may live, in what some call a “miracle.” In a blast that injured 160 and damaged more than 150 buildings, only 15 lives were lost, 12 of them being the first responders that were able to prevent an even bigger disaster.

In the Bible, John 15:13 reads, “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Cyrus departed this world showing the ultimate act of love he could, and he showed his dedication and unwavering tenacity to his credo by laying down his life so others may live. He will always be remembered as “the gentle giant.”