Pete Hager

Peter “Pete” Hager of Dayton, Wyoming left our world on September 20, 2023. His spirit is carried on through his surviving children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Pete was a father, grandfather, husband, brother, volunteer, helper, boss, and a good friend to many. His life spanned so many world-changing events – the Great Depression, WWII, the first moon landing, the digital revolution and birth of the internet, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, a new century, a new millennium, and nearly nine decades.

Pete’s story began March 17, 1934, in Reynolds Birthing Home in Sheridan, Wyoming. Born to Grace Blakesly Hager (from Oklahoma) and John Hager (from Norway), Pete lived a vibrant life with humility and an I-can-do-anything-I-put-my-mind-to persona.

From his early life on a homestead with no running water or electricity to serving honorably in the U.S. Army, to working and living abroad, Pete’s life was charismatic. He had a long and successful career with the U.S. Forest Service, working and living in Wyoming, Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, and Utah over his career. After his retirement from the Forest Service, Pete worked for several years overseas in Russia, Pakistan, and Sudan with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He also worked as a part-time engineer at Aqua Terra Consultants, Inc. in Sheridan doing coal mine and water rights planning and design. Mostly, he was known by family and friends as kind, patient, reliable, humble and strong. He was a man of integrity and a prankster who loved to laugh!

In 1958, Pete married Sheila Murphy and they had five children together. Sheila passed away in 1977, and Pete married Sally Catchpole Hill in 1979. Pete gained two more children when he married Sally, and together they raised all seven children. Pete and Sally were married for 43 years until Sally’s passing in 2022. Pete and Sally lived a busy and vivacious life together – traveling the U.S. and Europe, and living abroad in Russia and Pakistan. The family lived mountains-to-coast over the years including Durango, CO, Atlanta, GA, and Salt Lake City, UT. Pete and Sally retired in 1988 and moved to Dayton, Wyoming where they spent the next 35 years enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Big Horn Mountains, making lots of good friends, helping the community through extensive involvement in the Dayton-Ranchester Rotary Club and Dayton School Benefit Club, and making this world a little bit better just by being themselves.

Pete was preceded in death by his first wife Sheila Hager, second wife Sally Hager, daughters Susan Morrison (Glenn) and Angela Wilkerson (Barry), grandchild Shane Garde, and great-grandchild Danny Hollingshead. He is survived by sons David Hager, Ken Hager (Doreen), and Dan Hager (Krista), and by daughters Denise Garde (Cheech) and Lisa Gyllenswan. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Pete touched so many lives and he will be missed by all who knew him. The family hopes you will join us in celebrating his life on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 11:00 AM, Dayton Community Hall, 412 Bridge Street, Dayton, Wyoming.

Online condolences may be written at www.kanefuneral.com. Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.