Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman DeFord suffered a fatal stroke while working a traffic accident in inclement weather. He died eight hours after collapsing. Patrolman DeFord had served with the Lincoln Township Police Department for 15 years and was survived by his wife and three children
Survivors
Patrolman DeFord had served with the Lincoln Township Police Department for 15 years and was survived by his wife and three children
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-A136F0B0- Stewardship
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- 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.
Patrolman DeFord gave the Lincoln Township Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Stevensville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman DeFord.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Donald V. DeFord is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 23 of 718 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.2% of this state's fallen. That is 5.9 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald V. DeFord's cause is highlighted.
How Donald V. DeFord Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Donald V. DeFord is highlighted in Mar.