Lane's Story


Lane's story is harder to tell than our others, because he is no longer here to tell it....

 Lane Logan was born in Philip, SD on April 28th, 1986 and was the only son to Russ and Barb Logan out of a family of 6 kids. He grew up in the Badlands National Park and attended grade school in the small, close knit community of Interior, SD. He participated in basketball, hung out with his friends and played some amazing pranks on the seasonal employees. His sisters, Erica and Lacy, And himself were infamous for moving whole apartments outside

onto nearby buttes, complete with lights and fish tanks. He was an avid hiker in the Badlands and if an unlucky tourist got stuck on a butte it wasn't uncommon for the park rangers to enlist the Logan kids to assist. He went to High School in Wall, SD and graduated in may of 2005. After graduation he worked for the Badlands National Park for a short time and lived temporarily in New Mexico after that.

 Lane joined the Navy May 4th, 2006 and attended basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago. After graduating from basic he went to A-School and became an Electrician's Mate. He was stationed on the USS ENTERPRISE shortly after. Lane served for eight years and was deployed three separate times; 2007, 2011 and 2012. He completed his duty on the USS ENTERPRISE and was assigned to shore duty in Norfolk, VA at a magnetic degaussing station until his honorable discharge in May of 2014. After his wife, Lorrin, was discharged they moved to Watertown, SD with their daughter Raylin in October of 2014. He got a job at Terex as a welder and worked there until he passed.

 While his life can be told in facts and dates, it will never tell the full story of who Lane was as a person. It wont tell how he shined as a father, how his daughter was his pride and joy or how he doted on her. It wont tell how his parents and sisters were in constant communication with him and what a focal point he was in all of their lives. The facts wont let others know how he was the most dependable people around, how he would help random people with their cars, how his laugh was contagious and he was always joking. They wont tell you how all of his sisters admired him for being one of the best men they knew. How his nieces and nephews adored him and how he made he made each of them feel special and that he went out of his way to spend individual time with each of them. They can't tell you how he was one of the best mechanics around or that drag racing with his father was one of his favorite past times. Most of all, the facts wont tell people how the loss of him left a gaping hole in all those that knew him well.

 Lane lost his battle with PTSD on April 23rd 2015. He was dealing with it quietly and on his own. He suffered some personal issues and, by all outward appearances, was putting on a brave face and dealing with them head on. His own family did not know that he had been diagnosed with PTSD until after he was gone.

 Lane Logan is more than just another statistic. He is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, an uncle, a grandson and a friend. He is missed everyday and he is loved. His memory is a good one for all of those who knew him and his loss to many is devastating. He was, and still is, a part of so many peoples everyday thoughts and he deserves to be remembered and he should still be here.

 I can only tell his story through my own eyes because, like I stated before, he isn't here to tell it and it deserves to be told.


    Sincerely,


                 Heather Wipf; sister to a fallen soldier