Syd Harrison gave gallons of blood to Bonfils Blood Center in more than two decades of donating.
Then he needed 300 pints of blood himself before his death from a plasma disease on Dec. 30. He was 62.
Even when he could no longer donate, Harrison, a Denver architect, continued helping the blood center: speaking at its events, visiting centers to thank donors and sometimes handing out flowers.
“Donating was a big part of his life,” said his daughter, Kelly Harrison of Denver.
He often was called in to give blood for premature babies because his blood was rich in antibodies, his family said.
His children took up the cause, and both now donate. His son, Marty Harrison of Denver, will donate money to Bonfils from an Ironman triathlon qualifier in Idaho this summer.
Syd Harrison always wanted to be an architect, said his son. As a child, he drew and made models of things, and near the end of his life, he was still making models of cars and boats.
He also made “skimboards,” used by beach lovers to skim over a beach and catch a wave as it comes in on the sand, Marty Harrison said. “He made his first one when he was in the eighth grade,” his son said.
Harrison’s architectural speciality was renovating residential homes in older neighborhoods.
He was an activist in his east Denver neighborhood, particularly in working with neighbors concerned about the impact of the recent move of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to Aurora and how redevelopment would affect density and traffic.
Harrison’s charities were something he kept “quiet,” said his daughter. Sometimes he would leave the house to volunteer at a soup kitchen or drop off food to the needy, and the family would hear of it later.
Harrison had two main avocations he pursued — croquet and cooking. He formed a croquet club that played regularly at Washington Park and often traveled out of state to tournaments. His license plates read “Croquey.”
He did the grocery shopping and cooking at the Harrison house, and he and his daughter took cooking classes together. “He loved to entertain,” she said. “It was his way of showing love.”
Sydney P. Harrison Jr., was born in Brockton, Mass., on March 17, 1946.
He married Lois “Lo” Kelly, whom he had known since the second grade at Crescent Park Elementary School in Palo Alto, Calif.
He earned his architectural degree at CU-Boulder.
In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by his parents, Sydney Harrison Sr. and Jeanette Harrison of Carmel, Calif.; and his sister, Susan Harrison of Washington, D.C.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
