End of Watch August 12, 1988
Age 39
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Joe Gurney succumbed to injuries received when his horse fell on him while he was guarding inmates at the Beto I Unit at 1391 Farm-To-Market Road in Tennessee Colony. Sergeant Gurney was pursuing a runaway horse that had escaped. During the pursuit, he was thrown from his horse, and his horse fell on top of him. He was stabilized at the infirmary before being transported to the Tyler Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. Sergeant Gurney was a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran and had served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division for five years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, two daughters, parents, and sister.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Gurney gave the Texas Department of Criminal Justice 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Corrections
Location Huntsville, Walker County, TX
Platform Identity tdcjcidcorr.walker.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 12, 1988
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joe F. Gurney served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Accident

Joe is one of 8,276 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1988, 80 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 27th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Joe was 39. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Joe had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

August holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Fridays: 15.1%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division has at least 120 officers remembered here, Joe among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Sergeant Joe F. Gurney

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division · End of Watch August 12, 1988

Military Service

Joe F. Gurney served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit Joe F. Gurney’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 2-E

Also Remembered

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