Remembering Caitlyn Logan
In memoriam: December 28, 1998 - March 16, 2020
If you’d met her, says her Mom Marci, the first thing you’d notice about Caitlyn Logan was “her contagious laugh”. Her Dad, Chuck, calls her “strong, smart, and a real animal lover” with lots of love for her precious pups, Tucker and Stella.
Brother Dylan and his girlfriend Kenzy Lynch remember how much she loved to shop and her impeccable fashion sense. “She had every type of clothes you could imagine in her closet!” says Kenzy. Boyfriend Chandler Graves recalls how he and Caitlyn used to fall asleep watching Netflix or gazing at the fireflies outside their bedroom window.
And Grandma Brenda Chandler looks back on Caitlyn’s delight at the simple joys of the holiday season. Caitlyn loved to color Easter eggs “something she’d done with me ever since she was five years old,” she says, and every Christmas Eve would find the entire family – Caitlyn, her parents, brother, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Brad, and cousins Layne and Bo – driving all around Connersville and the surrounding areas to see the homes adorned with their Christmas lights.
But what you’d remember most about meeting Caitlyn Logan is that you’d met someone absolutely unique: a sweet, fun-loving, shy, yet caring young woman who was passionate about helping others and devoted to her close circle of family and friends.
Click on the arrows to see pictures of Caitlyn, her family, and friends
Nicknamed “Sis” by her family, Caitlyn LeeAnn Logan grew up in Connersville, IN, attending Connersville Middle School (where she first met boyfriend Chandler, now a Sports Marketing and Management major at IU and student manager for the IU Men’s basketball team). She attended Connersville Senior High, where she danced on the Spartanette Dance team all four years and was a member of the Golf Team for two years. She also competed as a member of a competitive cheer team for several years and danced at Sandee’s Dance Explosion (a dance school and studio in Connersville) for 16 years.
After high school, Caitlyn was accepted, first into Indiana University Bloomington and then, into IU’s highly-competitive, demanding School of Nursing, where she was in the top 10% of her first-year nursing class and named an IU Founders Scholar, an honor given to a select group of undergraduates who maintain a 3.8 GPA or higher in their program study. Caitlyn’s professors remember her as a stellar student – conscientious, wise beyond her years, and sensitive to the feelings of those around her.
After high school, Caitlyn was accepted, first into Indiana University Bloomington and then, into IU’s highly-competitive, demanding School of Nursing, where she was in the top 10% of her first-year nursing class and named an IU Founders Scholar, an honor given to a select group of undergraduates who maintain a 3.8 GPA or higher in their program study. Caitlyn’s professors remember her as a stellar student – conscientious, wise beyond her years, and sensitive to the feelings of those around her.
“When I asked her why she pushed herself so hard in nursing school, Caitlyn would look at me and say: ‘Because I want to be a great nurse!’”
-- Chandler Graves, Caitlyn’s boyfriend
Her Mom Marci, who is a nurse herself, recalls how determined Caitlyn was to excel in nursing school, using color-coded flash cards and other study aids to quickly learn key terms and keep track of upcoming assignments. Chandler recalls how she would often begin studying for even minor exams a week-and-a-half or more in advance.
“When I asked her why she pushed herself so hard,” he says, “she’d look at me and say: ‘Because I want to be a great nurse!’”
To those looking in from the outside, Caitlyn’s active, athletic lifestyle hid the fact that life was very hard for her physically. She suffered from both diabetes and epilepsy and a series of health issues forced her to undergo nine surgeries during her young life. “But she never talked about it,” says Marci, “and she didn’t let it hold her back.” A young woman of a quiet, deep religious faith, Caitlyn embraced the challenge of managing her health issues, writing in a text to a friend who lost her baby due to health issues: “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors!”
Caitlyn lost her courageous battle against diabetes last March, leaving behind a void that is impossible to fill. “I love her, and I miss her,” says Chandler. “I remember her smile, and how it lit up a room. She was definitely something special.” “She was just an absolutely amazing girl,” says Marci. “We couldn’t have been blessed with a better daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, or friend.”
Caitlyn’s family continues to explore ways in which to keep her memory foremost in people’s thoughts “to show just how loved and missed she is,” says Marci.
“When I asked her why she pushed herself so hard,” he says, “she’d look at me and say: ‘Because I want to be a great nurse!’”
To those looking in from the outside, Caitlyn’s active, athletic lifestyle hid the fact that life was very hard for her physically. She suffered from both diabetes and epilepsy and a series of health issues forced her to undergo nine surgeries during her young life. “But she never talked about it,” says Marci, “and she didn’t let it hold her back.” A young woman of a quiet, deep religious faith, Caitlyn embraced the challenge of managing her health issues, writing in a text to a friend who lost her baby due to health issues: “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors!”
Caitlyn lost her courageous battle against diabetes last March, leaving behind a void that is impossible to fill. “I love her, and I miss her,” says Chandler. “I remember her smile, and how it lit up a room. She was definitely something special.” “She was just an absolutely amazing girl,” says Marci. “We couldn’t have been blessed with a better daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, or friend.”
Caitlyn’s family continues to explore ways in which to keep her memory foremost in people’s thoughts “to show just how loved and missed she is,” says Marci.
- At her memorial service, Caitlyn’s family asked that, instead of flowers, donations be made to the Fayette County Foundation in Caitlyn’s memory. The funds were used to buy a bench at The Fayette County Free Fair show arena, where Caitlyn loved to go and watch her brother and cousins exhibit their livestock at the fair.
- The Logans have also started an annual scholarship in Caitlyn’s name, to be awarded to a senior at the local high school.
- Caitlyn’s mom, Marci, has planted a memory garden of the wild flowers Caitlyn loved at the Logan farm.
- And plans are underway for Caitlyn’s family to randomly choose a student at Caitlyn’s dance instructor & high school dance coach Sandee Snedeker-Toschlog’s dance studio each month to help pay the student’s dance fees, in honor of Caitlyn’s memory.
“Through her journey, many people have also contacted us and said that they have prayed more, listened to God more, and turned to God more. How humbling that our sweet girl has been, and continues to be, such a testament,” says Marci.
These and other planned memorials will certainly keep Caitlyn’s memory alive, but her legacy is even more far-reaching than that. Caitlyn’s dedication to the nursing profession has inspired all of us at the IU School of Nursing to strengthen our commitment to supporting one another and to caring for others as nurses. Through us, Caitlyn Logan will leave her mark on the nursing profession for years to come.
Caitlyn, you will always be a part of us.
Memorial contributions in honor of Caitlyn can be sent to either the Logan Family at 1025 N. County Rd. 500 E, Brownsville IN 47325 or to First Financial Bank, 630 Central Ave, Connersville IN 47331 with “Caitlyn Logan Scholarship” written in the memo section of the check.