A Clackamas County deputy who retired five months ago died in an apparent river rafting accident in Idaho over the weekend, Sheriff Craig Roberts said Monday.

Roberts said he had no other details on what happened to Greg Senior, a 27-year veteran of the office. Senior served as a corrections officer and also in the civil division, where deputies work to process and serve court orders.

At nearly 7 feet tall, the hard-working Senior was often called a "gentle giant" around the jail, Roberts said. He had a great sense of humor and a big heart, the sheriff said.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our office lost one of our brothers this past weekend. Just 5 months... Posted by Clackamas County Sheriff's Office on Monday, August 28, 2017

"I saw him interact with inmates and he just has a heart for people," Roberts said.

One time, when a fearful young man first entered the jail, Senior took him aside and said he wouldn't let anything happen to the inmate, Roberts recalled. Later, the inmate's mother called to thank Senior for calming her son down.

"I just can't say enough about how he really was the type of individual that people looked up to and leaned on," Roberts said.

Before his career in law enforcement, Senior was a basketball player at University of Oregon from 1986 through 1989. Though he didn't get a lot of playing time, he won the Warren Award for being the team's most inspirational player.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

--Olivia Dimmer

503-708-8630; @DimmerOlivia