Nicholas Dees
Funeral services for Nicholas Dees, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper killed Saturday night when he was hit by an automobile while investigating a truck crash in Seminole County, will be held at 12 noon Saturday in Broken Bow.
Gov. Mary Fallin ordered Tuesday that all Oklahoma and U.S. flags on state property be flown at half staff from 5 p.m. Friday till 8 a.m. Monday in the trooper’s honor.
Dees, 30, was the son of Bruce Dees, a retired OHP trooper who was assigned for several years to Troop H headquartered in Clinton. The father was stationed here, working primarily Dewey County, beginning in 1979. Now of Bridgewater, he is among the survivors, as is Nicholas’ mother, Shelly Russell of Durant.
Other survivors include Nicholas’ wife, Brandi (Rudisill) Dees, and two daughters, Claire and Piper Dees, all of the home in Seminole.
Details of the accident in which Trooper Dees was killed and information about the driver who hit him and a fellow trooper, Keith Burch, have not been released yet. Capt. Paul Timmons said Wednesday nothing further will be released until an OHP crash team finalizes its investigation; he thought that would be late this week or early next week.
The driver whose vehicle struck the two troopers has been identified as Steven W. Clark. He was taken to a hospital in Oklahoma City where he was treated and released.
Information about the accident will be forwarded to the Seminole County District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete.
Dees was born Jan. 23, 1985, at Fairview. He graduated from Bridge Creek High School in 2003 and married Brandi Rudisill on July 23, 2005, in Hot Springs, Ark. He attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University at Durant, graduating in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
In July of 2013 he graduated from the 61st Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy and was assigned to Troop D headquartered at McAlester.
Dees was a member of the Haworth First Assembly of God Church in Haworth but had recently begun attending the Seminole First Assembly of God.
Besides his parents, wife and daughters, survivors also include two brothers, Darren Dees of Grovetown and Barry Dees of Bethel Acres, and one sister, Tracy Upchurch of Hugo.
The funeral will be at the Broken Bow Sports Complex under direction of Bunch-Singleton Funeral Home of Broken Bow. Interment will be at the Denison Cemetery in Idabel.
Dees began his law enforcement career as a policeman at Idabel. His field training officer there was quoted by the Oklahoman as stating, “He was a good role model to the other officers because he was always on time, always in good spirits and never had a bad word to say about anybody.”