Oklahoma County District Judge Donald Deason has died following a brief illness. Deason, the county's presiding judge, was 63.
County Court Clerk Rick Warren said Friday that Deason died Thursday following a brief illness. Warren says Deason was at his home in Edmond when he died and his body was discovered by his wife.
A former prosecutor, Deason became a special judge in Oklahoma County in 1999 and a district judge in 2005. In 2009, the Oklahoma Bar Association awarded the Alma Wilson Award to Deason for his contribution to improving the lives of Oklahoma children.
Warren says Deason swore him in as Oklahoma County's court clerk, administering the oath of office while also befriending him. Warren says Deason was a great man and that his loss is deeply felt.