Our story begins in March, 1985 when Piper Reed, second daughter of Frank and Debi Reed, was born. Piper and her older sister Paige spent their young lives together adventuring on their bikes, swimming in creeks in the summer, and ski racing in the winter. They were raised to be wildly independent, encouraged to be explorers of their environment and not to give in to fear of the unknown. Best friends, both girls grew into strong, independent women.

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Initially on a ski scholarship, Piper completed four years at Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Following her honorable service in the U.S. Air Force, she began her post-secondary studies at UNLV, later graduating from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Soon afterward, Piper settled back into her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho.

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Piper worked diligently for her lifestyle, which included a lot of outdoor play, socializing and travel. She skied, hunted and fished her beloved Wood River Valley to her heart’s content. Funded by positions she held throughout the Valley, like Enoteca and the Sawtooth Brewery, she also devoted herself to personal and environmental health, holding a certified personal trainer position at High Altitude Fitness, serving as a firefighter with the Ketchum Fire Department and as a forestry technician for the U.S. Forest Service. Piper was known by pretty much everyone in the Valley, along with her constant loyal companion, Remi⏤her cherished golden retriever who accompanied her everywhere she went. Both were loved by all.

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Tragically, on a beautiful sunny morning in May, 2019, as Piper headed to work, a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction abruptly crossed the center line from its lane of travel hitting her truck head-on. Piper, along with the two occupants of the other vehicle, died only minutes later. Remi, beside her in the truck as always, was also killed.

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It remains a seismic loss to the community and for the families of everyone who perished that day. Piper was only 34 years old. She had accomplished so much, but still had so much more to do, so much more life to live.

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Piper is our daughter, our sister, our best friend whom we honor every day through Piper’s Peak. Even though she is no longer here to guide and mentor young women to become confident, independent leaders who love and care for themselves and their environment, we carry on in her place. It is not just through us, but the entire community of those who knew her and what she stood for–how she honored herself and how she lived her life–that her legacy lives on. It is also through those who participate in the fields of study about which Piper was so passionate, who lend their expertise in growing young minds, and who volunteer in giving back to their communities. 

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Piper was posthumously awarded an Idaho Guide’s License and provided full Firefighter Honors at her Celebration of Life. The outpouring of love for her is what has truly inspired us to start this organization, to bring life to her indelible spirit and determination, and to continue to better the lives of those around us in the way that Piper irrepressibly lived her life everyday. 

 

Her happy spirit will forever occupy sacred space in our hearts.