Reed F. Curry

Reed F. Curry, 73, of Peterborough, passed away peacefully and surrounded by the love of his family on March 3, 2024, at Jaffrey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.  He was born on April 21, 1950, in New Bedford, MA, the son of George and Helen (Bettencourt) Curry.    

Reed had a great love for flyfishing, from his boyhood days exploring the ponds of Andover, MA, to his later years fishing the streams and rivers of New Hampshire. He was an avid angler, tying flies and handcrafting cane rods. He found it to be contemplative and peaceful – so, too, did the fish, who appreciated his efforts from a distance and rarely wandered close enough to be in any mortal peril, occasionally presenting him with a token gesture of sportsmanship. His scientific mind and his love for angling intersected when he authored a book on ultraviolet vision in trout. This idea spawned research into ultraviolet camouflage, in which he secured a patent, and advanced an interest in ultraviolet photography, a field to which he contributed meaningfully by developing and creating ultraviolet filters.

Reed was a person of great and varied learning, a true polymath. In any gathering his presence was felt by his sharp wit, his insights shared without regard to the popular view. He was authentic, believing that the clash of different ideas can result in finding the truth. He was a philosopher, a lifelong scholar of Christianity. Later in his life, when he embraced the Baha’i Faith, his greatest pleasure was to delve into the deep spiritual and social teachings contained therein.

Reed’s youth was spent in nomadic fashion, itinerant in spirit and restless by nature; yet after meeting his wife, Jayne, he settled easily into family life. He enjoyed being a father to Rachel and Daniel, making them groan with “dad jokes” as often as they would allow. He had formal training in computer science, furniture design, paralegal studies, and software engineering; some of his fondest memories came from his studies at New College, FL. He hitchhiked across the US, built a cabin in PEI, hiked the mountains of Scotland, traveled through Southeast Asia, and joined the crowds at Woodstock. His many occupations and adventures were the source of stories and lessons, the retellings of which his family suffered with great affection. He will be missed.

Reed Curry is survived by his wife, Jayne (Anthony) Curry, son Dan Curry and partner Tatiana, brother David Curry, and sister Ann Kerouac. Nieces and nephews include Anna, Maggie, and Jenny Lightfoot; Matthew and David Woodley; Cale and Caitlan Anthony; Chris Kerouac; and many grandnieces, nephews, and cousins. Predeceased by daughter Rachel, brother Steven Curry, and parents.

Services will be announced at a later date. 

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