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The RCMP mourned the loss of one of its members in Turner Valley this weekend.

On Friday, Constable Jeremy Perdue lost his battle with cancer. He was 36-years-old.

Officers and community residents gathered Sunday to help Perdue’s wife and the five children he left behind.

It was an unofficial gathering of Turner Valley’s finest. However, uniforms were set aside to while honoring the cherished member of the RCMP family.

“Jeremy was always willing to help everybody else, so we only thought that it was fitting that we come here and finish this stuff off for Kira and the kids, and make sure it got done the way they wanted it,” Turner Valley RCMP Cpl. Tiffany McGregor said.

Five years ago, Perdue – a former military man and Mountie for over a decade – moved his family from northern Alberta to here in Turner Valley. Then last year, his life turned upside down.

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“Jeremy was diagnosed with a type of leukemia called AML, acute myloid leukemia. It’s a relatively rare form of leukemia – it generally affects older populations into their 60s and 70s. So for someone at 35 to get it was quite shocking and rare,” Perdue’s cousin Shaun Hanna said.

In October, Perdue had a bone marrow transplant and was in remission until March.

“Beginning in April it was revealed that his cancer had come back and there was very little to do at that point,” Hanna said.

He passed away with family by his side Friday afternoon.

While they’ll likely have to sell and downsize in the future, the community came together to complete Perdue’s work on an unfinished basement.

“We wanted to do this so that he would know that it was taken care of. And we’ve had more hands than we need,” Cpl. McGregor said.

“Within the first 20 hours there was already $6,000 in donations from people that didn’t know him and people that did know him,” said Hanna. “It’s been amazing.”

Perdue’s five kids, ages 12 to 18 months, are coping with the help of friends. His RCMP family meanwhile, are remembering a hard-working, resilient man.

“There was no mistaking he was going to be there. If he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, he would jump in with one of us and we would pick him up and take him home,” Cpl. McGregor said. “He’s been present for the whole year that he’s been off and there will be a big hole there.”

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A Go-Fund-Me page has been set up to support the family of Constable Perdue.

The family also had a van donated to them so they could travel to Calgary together for cancer treatments and the community has hosted a number of events with music and silent auctions to help the family.

Purdue was the family’s breadwinner, while his wife Kira is a full-time mom.