Chris was born December 16, 1926 in Onaway, Michigan to Charles and Laura (McGrath) Sanger.

She attended school in Michigan until the 9th grade when she moved to Florida to live with her Aunt and Uncle.  It was 1941 and the beginning of World War II, Chris worked several odd jobs and while working as an elevator operator she met Hursal Dennison.  Hursal was just home from the war when they met and they would eventually marry in 1946.  After they married he was called back into service and was sent to Japan.  Hursal and Chris had two children, Stanley and Roxie.

Upon returning to the states the young family lived in Alaska. That is where Chris realized her love of politics. Alaska was not yet recognized as a state and so Chris worked tirelessly on campaigning to make Alaska a state.  Hursal and Chris divorced in 1960 and she returned to the lower 48 states and worked for several large hotel chains.  It was this work that lead her to Denver and then eventually Las Vegas in 1964.

In Las Vegas Chris did training for several large hotels including the Flamingo and Sahara. She met and married James Vaugh in 1965 and together they were involved in Las Vegas politics, including the Ronald Regan presidential campaign.  Her husband James passed away in 1979.

Chris married Derreld Hallenbeck "Hobo Style" in Baldwin City, Kansas in 1980. Together they lived and worked in Las Vegas and retired in 1990.  They bought an RV and traveled.  They would stay at the Hart Ranch in Rapid City for several years and they loved the area.

In 1998 Chris and Derreld purchased a home and settled down in Nisland, South Dakota. They stayed in Nisland from 1998 to 2006 when they moved to Belle Fourche and then to Spearfish and then to Sturgis when she lived until the time of her passing.

Chris leaves behind her son, Stanley Dennison; daughter, Roxie MacNeil; brothers-in-law, Darwin (Ethel) Hallenbeck, Dennis (Virginia) Hallenbeck; four grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Laura Sanger; husbands, Hursal Dennison, James Vaughn, and Derrald Hallenbeck; and three sisters.

A memorial service will be held at 1 pm on Friday, March 2, 2018 at Black Hills Funeral Home with Pastor Tom Martin officiating.  Inurnment will follow at 2 pm at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.