Orion Hanger

Orion Victor Hanger, born on December 7, 1952 in Washington DC, peacefully left this earthly realm on June 8, 2020. Orion went by his initials of O.V. and lived an extensive joy-filled life in Tampa, Florida for 50 years. O.V. briefly attended Lynchburg College before moving to Tampa and attending the University of South Florida to obtain a degree in psychology. He worked for the Florida Mental Health Institute, but soon discovered his talent in the Computer Science field and got his first job at The Nielsen Company. O.V. worked at Nielsen for over 30 years, initially in the IT area and then for 17 years in Custom Research as Director of Technical Services until his retirement in 2017. O.V. was an expert SAS programmer and was responsible for technical development of new custom products for measurement of media in movie theaters, airports and other venues outside of the home. He was instrumental in the creation of Nielsen’s first internet measurement. O.V. was a unique combination of artist and scientist. When he wasn’t developing complex computer programs, he was penning poems and writing songs. He liked to say he “wrote the songs that made computers sing” and he really did. O.V. married the love of his life, Sylvia “Sylla” (Baucom) Sheppard-Hanger in 1982. Their life together was one of beautiful music, bringing their joyful daughter, Nyssa Rhiannon Hanger, into the world in 1984. During his early years, O.V. was a local musician in the Tampa area and joined up with his friend Larry Feldman to create the duo, Feldman-Hanger. They performed in many treasured local Tampa spots including The Peanut Gallery, Proud Lion Pub, and Busch Gardens. Though his life as a professional musician ended in his early 30’s, his love of music and creative expression lived on until the day he passed. In his later years, he took up the joy of photography and began learning more about cameras and even completed a photography class at the University of South Florida. He also gravitated towards writing haikus, sometimes accompanied by a picture, and was still writing and recording music into retirement. O.V. Hanger was preceded in death by his parents, Victor H. and Elizabeth M. Hanger, and his brothers-in-law, Kenneth Baucom and Donald “D” Baucom. O.V. is survived by his wife, Sylla Hanger, their daughter, Nyssa Rhiannon Hanger, her husband, Samuel Rotker, his older sister, Anne Hanger, her husband, Robert Craycroft, his younger brother, William “Marc” Hanger, younger sister, Sally “Trisha” Hanger, her husband, Peter Svenlen, his other younger sister, Virginia “Jinx” Hanger Cole, his brother-in-law, David Baucom, and his nieces and nephews, Jimmy Baucom, Julie Baucom Simington, Heike Baucom, Kristina Baucom, Davie Baucom, and Katie Baucom Zezima, Elizabeth Cole Johnson, William Cole, Sally Svenlen, and Samuel Svenlen. For further details for services, updates and memorial contributions, please visit www.nyssahanger.com/ovhanger.