P.O. Box 901, Prosser WA 99350 /wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com / 360.597.4411

Brent Hanger was born on January 28, 1968, to Ralph and Barbara Hanger in Sedro Woolley, Washington. He grew up in the Skagit Valley, graduating from Burlington-Edison High School before continuing his education by obtaining an Occupational Associate's Degree in auto and heavy diesel repair from Universal Technical Institute in 1988.

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Hanger's career path changed, bringing him to the Washington State Patrol on July 9, 1998, where he joined the 82nd Trooper Basic Training Class. Trooper Hanger was commissioned on March 1, 1999, and was assigned back home in Burlington.

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Trooper Hanger earned the Award of Merit on November 28, 2000, for risking his own life assisting an individual in crisis. He transferred to Marysville in May 2004, and became a Field Training Officer known to have high expectations, but not without also providing the proper support, encouragement, and wisdom to his trainees.

Trooper Hanger promoted to detective with the Northwest Regional Drug Task Force on August 1, 2007, assigned to Bellingham. He spent eight years working alongside the team displaying integrity, loyalty, dedication, and perseverance.

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Detective Brent Hanger died on August 6, 2015, at the age of 47. He suffered a heart attack while following up on a tip regarding a marijuana grow in Yakima County. At the time of his death, Detective Hanger had served almost 17 years with the Washington State Patrol.

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Detective Hanger's wife, Lisa, lives in Mount Vernon. She enjoys working on house projects, working out at Cross Fit, and taking care of her mother.  Lisa loves spending time with their six children, Emily, Erin, Kailey, Erik, Kyle and Kevin; and their dogs Red and Peach. 

 

Emily graduated from WWU in 2020 and is a Trooper, assigned to Burlington.  She has a chocolate lab, named Peach.  Emily enjoys scuba diving, travel, and photography.

 

Erin graduated from WWU in 2020, with a major in history and a minor in Latin.  She’s currently working at Bellingham Veterinary and is going to school at Whatcom Community College to become a veterinarian. 

 

Kailey graduated from the University of Washington in 2022 with her biology major.  She is currently working an orthodontist’s office in Kirkland.

 

Erik is attending WWU and majoring in Environmental Science with an emphasis on Ecology.  He enjoys fishing, hiking, and riding his quad. 

 

Kyle works at FedEx and will be attending Skagit Valley College in the Fall to pursue a career in IT.  For fun, Kyle likes to play basketball with and hang out with his friends.  He also likes anime and Goorin Bros. Trucker hats!

 

Kevin is enjoying spending time working on restoring his 1977 Volkswagen Van. He has a dwarf hamster named Hemi. 

 

Brent Hanger's mother, Barbara, passed away in February 2020.  Brent’s siblings, Julie and Mark, live in Mt Vernon. His sister Marcia lives in Smokey Point.  Brent’s stepmom, Linda and stepsister, Jessica, live in Burlington.

 

Please take a moment to remember Detective Brent Hanger and his family.

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