‘He never forgot what it took to become a cop and he appreciated that. He loved being a cop more than anything else.?
That’s how Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Russ Yeiser described fellow police officer Keith Hess.
Hess passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 9 while undergoing surgery. He was 42.
Hess was a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Rochester Hills substation. Prior to joining the sheriff’s department, he worked for the Oxford Police Department in the mid-to-late 1990s, back when it was a joint township-village agency.
That’s where he and Yeiser, a former Oxford cop himself, met.
‘Keith was a great cop,? he said. ‘He never took the job for granted. Every day, he went there and did a fabulous job.?
‘He was the type that would drive through the neighborhoods and wave to everybody,? the lieutenant added. ‘He was always very, very friendly.?
After the Oxford Police Department disbanded in 2000, Hess went to work for the sheriff’s department.
‘Deputy Hess had many friends at the sheriff’s office and this is truly a huge loss,? said Sheriff Mike Bouchard. ‘The commitment and integrity he brought to his job was outstanding and he is going to be sorely missed.?
Yeiser described Hess as a ‘quiet? and ‘kindhearted? man. ‘He’d give you the shirt off his back,? he said.
In his spare time, Hess enjoyed hunting, his salt water aquarium and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Yeiser said his motorcycle was ‘probably his biggest passion besides police work.?
A funeral was held on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the St. Clair Shores Chapel of Bagnasco & Calcaterra Funeral Home.