Keith Harrup, the winner of Harley-Davidson of Waco's Motorcycle Madness, died on Friday night.

According to Melissa Wright, a friend of his who works at the dealership, Harrup died in a motorcycle accident near Kirvin.

He was riding with one of his friends when a deer stepped in the roadway. Harrup swerved to avoid hitting the deer and ran straight into a tree.

He was not riding the bike that he won.

He grew up in Freestone County near Kirvin and graduated from Wortham High School in 2003. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for more than six years.

Harrup completed three 12-month tours of duty during his service, one in Afghanistan and two in Iraq, earning numerous decorations and medals for his service to the country. After his honorable discharge, he returned to Iraq to work private security.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday with the family present from 6-8 p.m. at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague.

Funeral services for Keith Harrup will be held on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Teague.

Interment will follow the services at Woodland Cemetery near Kirvin with an honor guard provided by the U. S. Army.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the veteran’s support group online.

Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.