| Year Honored | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | |
| Honoree | |
| Edward E Soper | |
| Agency | |
| H.O.P.S. Ambulance | |
| Agency City | |
| Le Raysville | |
| Agency State | |
| PA | |
| Last Call | |
| 1/26/91 | |
| Cause of Death | |
| Medical Aviation Accident | |
| Biography | |
| "He was a kind and gentle man and a super uncle," said nephew Walt Rogers as he remembered Ed Soper. "From the first time he saw Guthrie One, Ed had a dream to fly with the flight team. Other than his family, his life revolved around being good enough to get aboard that bird."<br /> <br /> A dedicated EMS volunteer, Mr. Soper was a member of the H.O.P.S. Ambulance Service, served 10 years with the LeRaysville Fire Department and was an emergency communications dispatcher for Bradford and Sullivan counties. He lived on and operated a dairy farm in LeRaysville at the time of his death.<br /> <br /> Mr. Soper was a flight observer aboard Guthrie One helicopter #609, on a patient transport from Robert Packer Hospital to Geisinger Medical Center, in Pennsylvania when it crashed, ending the lives of all aboard. An estimated crowd of 2,000 filled the sanctuary as family, colleagues and friends remembered the crew. Tributes and memorial donations were sent from other flight teams throughout the northeast, and as far away as California.<br /> <br /> Mr. Soper is survived by his wife, Linda, and three children, Candace Lynn, Jeremy, and Adam Edward.<br /> <br /> Honored 1999 |
The United States Official National EMS Memorial Service
