By MARK ZALOUDEK Herald Tribune A final act of heroism cost 48-year-old Kenneth "Dean" Gurnon ('05, EC) his life as he helped rescue an 11-year-old from drowning, but bravery was nothing new to the former Sarasota resident. During a 23-year military career, Gurnon served in Operation Desert Storm and was a maintenance test pilot for the Army before retiring in 1999 as a chief warrant officer. Gurnon was vacationing in Rhode Island with a friend and her 11-year-old granddaughter when the child lost her footing along a stretch of rocky coast on Narragansett Bay. The girl fell into the bay, where there's often a dangerous undertow, and screamed for help. Gurnon slipped on the rocks and hit his head while entering the water but was able to reach the girl and help her get closer to shore. Rescue workers using ropes and flotation rings eventually rescued the girl, but found Gurnon floating face-down and unresponsive. They were unable to revive him. "He got the girl real close to the shore before the waves took him out," said his brother, Rick Gurnon of North Kingstown, R.I. "The autopsy said he drowned, but we believe what happened is he lost consciousness (from his head injury) ... He was a helluva swimmer." His brother added: "He's a hero, as far as I'm concerned. Giving his own life to save the girl's life sums up the kind of guy he was." Gurnon, who died July 17, was buried Saturday with military honors at Rhode Island Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Exeter. At a memorial service, one of Gurnon's high school classmates told the family he remembered Gurnon confronting bullies who were taunting a handicapped student. Gurnon told the bullies to think about their actions because what they were doing wasn't right, recalled the classmate, who told Gurnon's family he didn't know Gurnon at the time but sought him out to commend him. Like his father, who served in the Navy for more than 30 years before retiring as a lieutenant commander, and an older brother, who spent more than 23 years in the Army as a maintenance test pilot, Gurnon chose a military career. He earned a degree in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. After retiring from the service, he had worked in airport security for several years in Newport News, Va., and was recently promoted to supervisor. He was separated from his wife. Gurnon was a fan of NASCAR and race-car driver Kyle Petty. In addition to his brother Rick, Gurnon is survived by his wife, D.H. Kelly, of Lakewood Ranch; a son and daughter, Corey and Brittany of Lakewood Ranch; his parents, Paul and Dorothy of Wakefield, R.I.; and a brother, Paul, of Clarksville, Tenn. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 222 Richmond St., Providence, R.I. 02903, or to Victory Junction Gang, 4500 Adams Way, Randleman, NC 27317. The latter is a camp founded by NASCAR's Petty family for children with serious illnesses or chronic medical conditions.