Story highlights Jerry Parr helped save President Ronald Reagan after he was shot by John Hinckley Jr.

Parr directed the presidential motorcade to a hospital after seeing blood on Reagan's handkerchief

Parr was 85 and died of congestive heart failure

(CNN) Jerry Parr, a Secret Service agent who helped save a wounded Ronald Reagan during a 1981 assassination attempt, has died, his wife said Friday. He was 85.

Carolyn Parr said her husband died of congestive heart failure, three days short of their 56th wedding anniversary.

Jerry Parr was the lead agent the day John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan and three others. After hearing six gunshots, he grabbed the President by the shoulders and pushed him into the car. Agent Ray Shaddick shoved Reagan into the back, made sure Reagan's legs were in the car, and slammed the door shut.

At first Parr had the limousine headed to the White House, but Reagan's blood was on a handkerchief pressed against his lips, so Parr redirected the car and the followup vehicles to George Washington Hospital.

Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – On March 30, 1981, six shots were fired at President Ronald Reagan outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington. The shooter, John Hinckley, was taken to the ground immediately. This photo taken by presidential photographer Mike Evens captures Reagan waving to the crowd moments before the attempted assassination. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – In less than two seconds, Hinckley fires off six shots, hitting Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and D.C. Police Officer Thomas Delahanty. One bullet hits the limo's armored glass and another ricochets off, hitting Reagan in the abdomen. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – As the bullet hits Reagan, lead agent Jerry Parr grabs the president's shoulders and pushes him down into the limo. Secret Service agent Ray Shaddick slams the door shut and the motorcade bolts from the scene. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – A barrage of Secret Service agents holds down Hinckley and tends to the wounded. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – A chaotic scene ensues after the assassination attempt. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – As people storm the scene of the crime, Reagan is rushed to George Washington University Hospital in a split-second decision that possibly saved his life. The bullet penetrated within an inch of the president's heart, filling one lung with blood. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Brady is placed into an ambulance after the shooting. He suffered severe brain trauma and was unable to return to his post at the White House. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Hinckley is escorted by police following his arrest. He was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, haven written to her from his hotel room earlier that day, "There is a definite possibility that I may be killed in my attempt to get Reagan." Hinckley wrote he was doing this to try to win her love. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Four days after the assassination attempt, Reagan and the first lady pose for a photo inside the George Washington University Hospital. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Reagan recovers at the hospital. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Hinckley poses for a photo in front of the White House. A federal judge committed Hinckley to St. Elizabeth's Hospital after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity in the spring of 1982. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – Vice President George H.W. Bush was en route to Texas at the time of the assassination attempt. Bush immediately headed back to Washington, but the lack of a secure phone line between his plane and the White House contributed a brief sense of confusion within the administration. The result was Secretary of State Alexander Haig's infamous declaration that he was "in control ... pending the return of the vice president." Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: The attempted assassination of Reagan The attempted assassination of Reagan – After the attack, Reagan joked with his wife saying he "forgot to duck" and asked the attending doctors if they were Republicans. The president and first lady seen here outside the hospital. Hide Caption 13 of 13

Reagan spent two hours in surgery and was hospitalized for about two weeks. One of the doctors who treated Reagan said if the car had gone to the White House, the President would have died.