Officer Donald DeFord was called to handle a traffic accident during his shift on March 13, 1988, and while writing out the report in his squad car, he suffered a massive stroke. DeFord was taken to Mercy-Memorial Hospital in St. Joseph, but passed away at 6 a.m. on March 14, 1988.
Officer Donald Victor DeFord was born on October 6, 1927, in Greentown, Indiana, and had been with the Lincoln Township Police Department for fifteen years. He also owned and operated DeFord's Tile Service in Stevensville from 1953 to 1973. His body was laid to rest in the Lincoln Township Cemetery, Stevensville, Michigan.