Logan - with kazoo - at Katie�s 10th birthday party. Other girls clockwise around the
table: Jamiee Tittel, Katie, Sarah Innskeep, Sara Judd and Ashley Thurlow.
Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - March 27, 2003
Remembering Logan
Ten-year-old Logan Hunter was buried last Friday. Family and friends packed the little Sedalia Church and its annex to remember her and to say goodbye. Logan's fourth grade friends sat together with their teachers in one part of the church. They seemed so small but so brave.
It was a gorgeous first day of spring - probably the kind of day that Logan would have been out playing. I didn't know Logan well, but she has always been a favorite with our daughter Katie.
Katie invited Logan to her 10th birthday party in November. I have pictures of Logan from that party as well as others from their far-too-short time together - arms around each other running a three-legged race during the grade school's Fun Days when they were in first grade; hamming it up at Logan's summer pool parties.
The last time I saw Logan was when I went to the school for the fourth grade Valentine's Day party. I wasn't sure at what age the teachers stop having Valentine's Day parties for the kids, but I wanted to be there in case this was the last one. After the kids opened their Valentines and gulped down treats, they were ready for recess. The excitement of having a party combined with the sugar seemed to make them all hyper.
I decided to stay since it was close to the end of the school day. It was chilly and muddy from a recent snow, but it didn't deter the kids. They dashed from one end of the concrete play area to the other. Some were shooting hoops or playing catch, but the biggest group was involved in a soccer game. Logan was right at the head of the action - kicking the ball, running and screaming at the other kids to follow suit.
Logan was one of those kids that made me smile just to look at her. She was a bundle of energy and her eyes had a mischievous sparkle. She was full of what my mother-in-law would probably call "piss and vinegar."
I discovered at the memorial service for Logan that my impressions of her were accurate. Logan was described as being flamboyant, liking clothes that had sequins, feathers and beads on them, loving animals of all types, defending her friends, having a good sense of humor, being ornery, being headstrong, having a strong sense of moral justice, and liking sugar doughnuts, which she often snitched from her brother's share.
The fourth graders had been given the opportunity to remember Logan a few days before the service. The kids, we parents, teachers, administrators and others gathered in the old gym at the grade school. We were told the details of Logan's accident and found out that Logan's liver, kidneys, corneas and heart had been donated. The fourth graders then went to their classrooms with their teachers, the school counselors and Beemer, the gentle therapy dog that has become a member of the school community.
After a short time, one of the counselors came back to the gym to reassure us parents that our children were handling the news about Logan just fine and that they were talking and laughing about some of their funny memories of her.
The fourth graders were addressed directly during the memorial service, too.
"Remember that Logan gave you a special gift - the gift of being your friend."
One little 10-year-old touched our hearts and left the world a better place.
Thank you, Logan.
Logan - with kazoo - at Katie�s 10th birthday party. Other girls clockwise around the
table: Jamiee Tittel, Katie, Sarah Innskeep, Sara Judd and Ashley Thurlow.