Walter Orville Thurtell

KY State Police — Frankfort, KY

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch September 29, 1972

Age 42

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Badge 393

The Vigil Panel 110 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 28

Incident

Trooper Walter Thurtell died in a motorcycle crash while responding to a call for assistance at 8:50 p.m. Trooper Thurtell was traveling south on U.S. 431 in heavy rain when a vehicle traveling north struck him. Trooper Thurtell was a United States Korean War Navy veteran and had served with the Kentucky State Police for 15 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-KY-AFED3A8A
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Walter is one person.

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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.
Trooper Thurtell gave the Kentucky State Police 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kentucky, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department KY State Police

Type State Police

Location Frankfort, KY

Platform Identity kysp.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 29, 1972

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 42

Badge Number 393

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Walter Orville Thurtell served in the U.S. Navy (1948â1952) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Walter Orville Thurtell is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 16.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At KY State Police, 16 of 29 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55.2% of this agency's fallen.

KY State Police

of 29 officers

55.2% Accident

KY — Statewide

161

of 983 officers

16.4% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident