John V. Donaldson
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

John V. Donaldson

Accident
End of Watch September 21, 1956
Age 48
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 92 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff John Donaldson was killed in a vehicle crash on Route 72, about one mile west of Route 2, at approximately 2:10 a.m.

He was nearing the end of his shift when another vehicle crossed the center line of Route 72 and struck his patrol car head-on.

Deputy Donaldson had served with the Ogle County Sheriff's Office for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, seven children, mother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-A38C977A
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Donaldson gave the Ogle County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Oregon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Donaldson.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Oregon, Ogle County, IL
Platform Identity ocso.ogle.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 21, 1956
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff John V. Donaldson is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Ogle County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John V. Donaldson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How John V. Donaldson Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John V. Donaldson is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Ogle County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.