RWSPEA In Memoriam

In Memoriam
Last updated: 1/31/09 5:25 PM

The Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation pays tribute to the memory of those officers who gave their lives while serving the citizens of the state of Washington. To honor our fallen officers, a short summary of their service with the organization and a brief family synopsis is published in the Daily Bulletin on the anniversary of each officer's death. The RWSPEA has created this page as a permanent repository for those notifications on this website so they may be accessed at any time. As they occur in the Daily Bulletin they will be reproduced here, and will remain here for viewing.

Honorees sorted by name
(See below for a list sorted by date of death)

Trooper Ivan Belka died on August 18, 1951 at the age of 38 when a vehicle failed to yield to Trooper Belka’s paddy wagon. He died from injuries as a result of this collision which occurred in Spokane. At the time of his death, Trooper Belka had served 2 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Gene Bolstad died on September 4, 1957 at the age of 29 while attempting to rescue a teenage boy in the surf at Long Beach. Both were caught in an undertow. At the time of his death, Trooper Gene Bolstad had served 2-1/2 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Don Campbell Jr. died on December 22, 1951 at the age of 28. Trooper Campbell was struck by a truck while directing traffic around a stalled truck on Pacific Highway near Vancouver. At the time of his death, Trooper Campbell had served 6 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper H. Douglass Cossmann died on October 9, 1929 at the age of 28. He died from injuries he received in a collision with an automobile and his motorcycle at 46th & Park Avenue in Tacoma. At the time of his death, Trooper Cossmann had served only two months with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper.

Trooper Ernest E. Eichhorn died on September 16, 1958 at the age of 33 from injuries received when he was struck by a drunk driver while directing traffic at the Puyallup Fair on September 13, 1958. At the time of his death, Trooper Eichhorn had served twelve years with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper.

Trooper Vernon Fortin died on September 30, 1923 at the age of 25. Trooper Fortin was injured when his motorcycle collided with another patrolman’s motorcycle while they were en route to the Lynden fair for traffic duty. Trooper Fortin died five days later from his injuries. At the time of his death, Trooper Fortin had served 18 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Steven Frink died on March 22, 1993 at the age of 39. Trooper Frink was thrown from his motorcycle on an Interstate 90 off-ramp on Mercer Island when an automobile he was pursuing spun out of control. Trooper Frink died from his injuries four days after the collision.

Trooper James Gain died on March 2, 1987 at the age of 42. He was struck by a semi-truck along Interstate 5 seven miles north of Vancouver while conducting a traffic stop. At the time of his death, Trooper Gain had served 19 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper John Gulden died on December 23, 1942 at the age of 43. Trooper Gulden was shot as he approached a vehicle he stopped for driving without headlights. He was unaware the vehicle had two teenage suspects inside wanted for robbery and car theft. At the time of his death, Trooper Gulden served thirteen years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Thomas Hanlin died on May 26th, 1945 at the age of 38. He died from injuries sustained 18 months after flipping his paddy wagon on the Mount Baker Highway near Deming. His injuries at first were considered minor bruises. Later diagnosis revealed a head injury.

Trooper Clifford Hansell died on July 22, 1987 at the age of 25. His patrol car collided broadside with the front of a semi-truck on North Central Avenue in downtown Kent as he swerved while responding to a collision scene. At the time of this death, Trooper Hansell had served 17 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Raymond Hawn died on January 17, 1990 at the age of 47 when he was struck by a vehicle while rendering assistance to a motorcyclist who had run out of gas alongside Hwy 12 near Grandview. At the time of his death, Trooper Hawn served 21 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Clarence Johnson died on September 8, 1968 at the age of 26. He was killed when he was hit head-on by a pickup that crossed the center line on a curve between Fall City and Carnation. At the time of his death, Trooper Johnson had served 18 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Paul Johnson died on December 12, 1949 at the age of 32. Trooper Johnson died of a gunshot wound to the head after responding to a neighborhood disturbance near Snoqualmie. At the time of his death, Trooper Johnson had served 3 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Thomas Hendrickson died on November 17, 1974 at the age of 31. Trooper Hendrickson was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while investigating a traffic accident on State Route 20 in Mount Vernon. At the time of his death, Trooper Hendrickson had served almost four years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Allen Ludden died on March 15, 1938 at the age of 37. He died from injuries when he lost control of his motorcycle south of the Seattle city limits at a weigh station on the Seattle-Tacoma highway. At the time of his death, Trooper Ludden had served 18 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Weight Control Officer Joseph Modlin died on August 15, 1974 at the age of 60. He was killed when he was struck by a logging truck trailer while walking toward a second truck at the Home Valley weight station on Highway 14 seven miles east of Stevenson. At the time of his death, Officer Modlin had served six years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Frank Noble died on February 5, 1972 at the age of 42. He was shot during a traffic stop near Toppenish by a furloughed convict who earlier had robbed a convenience store. At the time of his death, Trooper Noble had served 14 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper William Pautzke died on May 8, 1930 at the age of 28. He died from injuries when he ran his motorcycle into the side of a gravel truck in the Burien area of Seattle en route to an investigation. At the time of his death, Trooper Pautzke had served four years with the Washington State Patrol.

Captain Loren Ray died on December 16, 1934 at the age of 34. Captain Ray died from injuries sustained in a fall at the County/City building in Seattle. At the time of his death, Captain Ray had served 6 years with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper James Saunders died on October 7, 1999 at the age of 31 from gunshot wounds while conducting a traffic stop in Pasco. At the time of his death, Trooper Saunders had served 8-1/2 years with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper.

Trooper Glenda Thomas died on May 24 1985 at the age of 29. She was killed while investigating a multi-vehicle collision on the north Seattle freeway. Trooper Thomas was standing between two vehicles at the collision scene when another car rear ended one of the vehicles involved in the earlier collision, pinning her between two automobiles. At the time of her death, Trooper Thomas had served only 6 months with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper.

Trooper Irving Thorsvig died on October 26th, 1926 at the age of 27. Trooper Thorsvig was injured when his motorcycle slid, causing the handle bar to strike him in the chest, which developed into a serious lung problem. Trooper Thorsvig died 27 days later from his injuries. At the time of his death, Trooper Thorsvig had served 9 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Conrad Tolson died on March 24, 1929 at the age of 39. He died from injuries sustained the previous day in a collision between his motorcycle and an oncoming automobile on the Seattle-Tacoma highway near the Pierce-King County line. Trooper Tolson was southbound on the Seattle-Tacoma highway when an oncoming car veered into his lane. Trooper Tolson's motorcycle and sidecar collided with the oncoming vehicle.

Trooper Wesley Whittenberg died on December 29, 1960 at the age of 29. He was struck by a car while investigating an accident on the Stillaguamish River Bridge on U.S. 99 north of Marysville. At the time of his death, Trooper Whittenberg had served ten years with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper.

Trooper John Wright died on June 28, 1953 at the age of 28. He died from injuries after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver on East Sprague Avenue in Greenacres, east of Spokane. At the time of his death, Trooper Wright had served 20 months with the Washington State Patrol.

Honorees sorted by date of death