A community memorial service honoring three Washington State Patrol employees who died last week in a house fire near Zillah is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27 at the Yakima Sundome.
The service will honor Washington State trooper Gary Miller, his wife, WSP Communications officer Anne Miller-Hewitt and trooper Kristopher Sperry.
The three died in the early morning hours on Aug. 16 at the Miller home on Falcon Ridge Drive, north of Zillah.
According to the Yakima County Coroner’s office, all three died from smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is currently still under investigation by fire officials.
The memorial event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday and is open to the public.
A law enforcement processional will take place prior to the service with hundreds of state law enforcement officials expected to participate.
• Gary Miller began his career in law enforcement as a reserve deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s office.
He was hired by the Grandview Police Department in 1979 before joining the Washington State Patrol in in 1989. He was commissioned as a trooper in 1990, and was assigned to District 3 in Sunnyside, where he worked for more than 20 years.
• Anne Miller-Hewitt obtained a degree in law and justice from Yakima Valley Community College.
Her law enforcement career began at the Toppenish Police Department. She joined the Washington State Patrol in 1987 as a communications officer in Yakima.
She was promoted to her current position as Communication Office 4 and head of the Wenatchee dispatch office in 2007.
• Krisopher Sperry was recently assigned to the WSP District Three in Sunnyside after he was commissioned as a trooper in June of 2010. He began his career with the WSP in June of 2008 as a cadet. He graduated from the WSP’s 97th Trooper Basic Class in 2010. He was living at with the Millers while awaiting the completion of his new home.
A memorial fund has been established through the Washington State Patrol in honor of the three. Memorials may be made to Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 7554, Olympia, WA  98507.