Roll of Honor
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
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John V. Donaldson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 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 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John V. Donaldson's cause is highlighted.
How John V. Donaldson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John V. Donaldson is highlighted in Sep.