Longtime DCSO deputy passes away after cancer fight

Deschutes County sheriff’s Patrol Deputy Kevin Turpen, a 24-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, passed away late Sunday night after a hard-fought battle against cancer, the agency announced Tuesday.

“Deputy Turpen will be deeply missed by his friends and colleagues,” the sheriff’s office said in a posting to its Facebook page.

A Celebration of Life for Turpen is planned Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center in Redmond. A procession will leave the sheriff’s office in Bend at 12:10 p.m. and head north on Highway 97.

In lieu of flowers, his family has suggested a memorial contribution to Brightside Animal Center in his name.

Turpen is survived his wife, Heidi, and two sons, Matthew and Nathan.

KTVZ 2019