photo by Special to The Outlook

Lover: Charles Logan kisses the cheek of his wife, Charlotte Childress.

Veteran leaves mark with obit

By Katie Cole (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Originally published 06:55 p.m., January 22, 2010
Updated 06:57 p.m., January 22, 2010

Charles Logan wasn’t well known in Alexander City.

He wasn’t a long-time resident and he never held public office. He was a northern transplant who didn’t have family living in the city.

Logan died on Sunday, Jan. 17, but thanks to an unusual obituary, he was the talk of the town on Thursday with his name mentioned in local health clubs, hospitals, restaurants and even on the Internet.

“I loved the obituary,” one post read on The Alexander City Outlook’s Web site. “I didn’t know the guy, but (it) sounds like he brought smiles to many even in death.”

According to the obituary, Logan was 89.525 years old when he died. He was a United States Navy yeoman with seven names who was orphaned at nine months old. He was an avid sports fan who lived in Pennsylvania, Canada, Texas, California and Alabama. He was married several times and judging from the descriptions in his obituary, each wife was better than the last: “gregarious knockout,” “wonderful woman” and “elegant beauty.”

His obituary ran in The Outlook on Thursday and Tallapoosa Publishers received numerous calls and e-mails that day from subscribers who enjoyed reading it. Radney Funeral Home, which is arranging the funeral, also received several calls, according to Erica Bramlett, a family services representative.

The obituary was written by Logan’s son, Bill Logan. The younger Logan said everything in it is true, even the story about his father changing his last name from Lozowski to Logan in 1956 so customers could pronounce his name.

“Apparently he went home (to his wife) and said, ‘Honey, we’re Logans,’” Bill Logan said.

Bill Logan remembers his father as an unconventional man who would have loved to read the obituary.

“I thought my dad would laugh at that,” Logan said. “My dad had a good sense of humor and he really enjoyed a good laugh, a good joke.”

Bill Logan is the “good-for-nothing Lithuanian” in the obituary, but he said that reference was an inside joke between him and his father, who was actually part-Lithuanian.

“He was just very proud of being Polish,” Bill Logan said.

Logan said his father loved the company of women and would be pleased with the numerous phone calls inquiring about his obituary.

“He would love that, especially if they were from ladies,” Bill Logan said. “He was quite a character.”

Logan’s funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the chapel of the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home. There’s even a chance one of Charles Logan’s many new admirers may be in attendance.

“He was obviously a charming and witty gentleman with a wonderful outlook on life,” another Outlook Web site post said. “For him to have passed and have his life celebrated this way is truly a memorable moment. I still may crash this service, just to meet the artist, the nun and that good-for-nothing Lithuanian!”

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