Ethel Leane Logan

Ethel Logan, 92, of Des Moines and formerly of Van Horne, completed her vocation as wife and mother to six children, passed into eternal life on April 30, 2025, at Kavanaugh House in Des Moines.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Des Moines with Father Raphael Assamah as celebrant. Interment will be held at St. John Catholic Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. in Independence. Friends may call at Caldwell Parish located at (8201 Hickman Road, Urbandale) from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Memorial contributions can be made to Calvin Community Health Center (4210 Hickman Road, Des Moines, Iowa 50310) in memory of Ethel.

Ethel was born on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1933, in Independence, Iowa, to Thomas Leane and Mertel (Curtis) Hansen. She graduated from Stanley High School in 1951. She worked as a bank teller at First National Bank in Oelwein prior to being united in marriage to Ray Logan on September 3, 1955, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oelwein, Ia. As newlyweds, Ray and Ethel first lived in an apartment above the bank in Oelwein. They later lived in Stanley, Waverly, Independence, and Waterloo before moving to Marshalltown, where she was employed at Brenton Bank. When they moved to Van Horne, she continued employment at Brenton (later Wells Fargo) in Cedar Rapids.

Ethel will be remembered for her Catholic faith, her loving commitment to her husband Ray, the tremendous joy she found in raising six children, and her remarkably positive outlook on all things in life.

Ethel is survived by her six children, Julie Rae (Bob) Hallgren of Des Moines, Jeff Logan of Adel, Jerry (Julie Marie) Logan of Marshalltown, Jane Walther of Whitehouse, OH, Jim (Laura) Logan of El Paso, TX and Joel (Gina) Logan of Kingwood, TX, 11 grandchildren: Angela (Shawn) Burks, Courtney Edwards, John (Lindsey) Logan, Macy (Alex) Petrikas, Mary Jane and Luke Walther, Callan and Kylie Logan, Ryan, Nicholas and Jack Logan, nine great grandchildren: Madison, Josephine, Christopher and Maverick Burks, Ryleigh and Hayden Edwards, Theo, Easton and Emma Logan, two step-great grandchildren, Isabelle and Sebastian Burks, great grandbaby Petrikas on the way, and her sister Jane Miculinich of Oelwein.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Ray, her parents, her sister Betty Reuber, her brother Tom Hansen, her brother-in-law John Miculinich and her son-in-law Bob Walther.

We wish to thank the care teams at Calvin Community and Davita East for their family-like love and support they poured out on our Mom. They made her days brighter. She thought of so many of her caretakers as family.

Thoughts and Memories of Mom:

A Life Well-Lived

Aunt Jane: “My last visit with Ethel was on November 21, 2024. But I will always be grateful for our e-mails and our phone calls every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I always called her by her nickname which was "Eck" and she said so many times how she liked that because I was probably the only one left that knew her as " Eck”!!! The other memory we shared was that I referred to her as my "second mother" because she was 9 when I was born and she pretty much took over my care and I became HER baby!! So many times she told me that no matter how old we got I would always be HER baby sister!! She will always and forever be in my thoughts and prayers!! May she rest in peace.”

Julie Rae: “I guess have too many memories to choose a favorite. But truly the greatest gift has been to be by Mom’s side all these years after she and Dad moved to Des Moines in 2013. In the midst of me taking care of her, she was taking care of me.”

Bob: “I so enjoyed sharing meals with her at the various care centers over the years and seeing how engaged she was …EVERYONE just loved her. It has been a delight to become her son-in-law.

Jeff: “I’ll always remember the great meals and the wonderful conversations that went along with the great food.”

Jerry: “All the great meals she prepared and was always in the kitchen getting ahead of the next meal.”

Julie Marie: “I loved our visits at the kitchen or dining room table chatting away about life. We’d always have a Diet Pepsi and sweet treat, especially Texas sheet cake with homemade frosting.”

Jane: Women’s college basketball. University of Iowa vs LSU. Playoff game 2024. Calvin Community hosted a watch party. Mom and I went down to watch the game on their big screen on the first floor. Calvin staff served popcorn and soda, a huge treat for Mom. We had a lot of fun cheering for University of Iowa. They ended up losing the game, but that’s the day Mom became a fan of Caitlin Clark and women’s basketball. Mom valued “Family.” She lived and breathed it.

Jim: So many stories to tell. For the record, it was all Joel’s fault. So, early one morning when I was about 11 years old, Joel got out of bed to go downstairs. After a minute I thought it the perfect time to surprise him when he got back into the bedroom by hiding behind the door and smash him in the face with a pillow when he came into the bedroom. Sigh. Well…I timed this perfectly. As I waited to pounce…steps closer and closer…and then-POW-AARGH!!-IT WAS MOM!! Despite my

desperate efforts to pull back, as much as momentum would allow, I still got her pretty good. The fact I honestly don’t recall getting clobbered as I deserved and expected, is a testament to her taking things in stride.”

Laura: “Two special moments I had with Ethel that I would like to mention happened to be the first minute I ever met her and the last minute I ever saw her. The first minute I ever met her, she gave me the biggest hug and made me feel so welcome with all of her kind and genuine words. The last minute I ever saw her was on Thanksgiving Day 2024. I said to her that I really hated to say goodbye. And she said that this was not goodbye. This was “until we meet again. So to my mother-in-law, Ethel, until we meet again. I thank you for all your love and support throughout the years."

Joel: “One of my favorite memories of Mom is the way she used to wake us up when we were little by coming in singing “Good morning! Time to rise and shine!”

Gina: “My favorite memory of Ethel is that when Ryan was born, I was nervous about her coming to visit. I had no idea what I was doing. Her presence and gentle guidance exuded so much warmth and kindness that not only did she calm Ryan down whenever he cried, she also calmed me down. She was incredibly helpful and, by the time she left, had given me the confidence I needed as a new mother.”

Angela: “Making monster cookies in the Monster Cookie Bowl to send to Jim and Joel during basic training. They got packaged up in oatmeal containers with popcorn to keep them fresh. I now use that same bowl to cook for my own family. My husband, Shawn, enjoyed listening to her chit-chat and her stories.”

Courtney: “One of my fondest memories of Grandma was Grandma and I in the kitchen. I remember Grandma loved to bake. She enjoyed teaching me how to bake chocolate chip cookies. I will treasure that memory.”

John: “Grandma always wanted to know how we were doing and was interested in what we had going on.”

Macy: “Grandma Ethel Logan made holiday’s and family reunion’s special for her 6 children and many grandchildren. Grandma will always be remembered for her incredible baking, caring heart, dedication to hard work, memory and ability to always look on the bright side.”

MaryJane: “Playing games with her at Calvin and all the family reunions at the big house.”

Luke: “When I was in college at the University of Colorado, I would drive my Subaru back to Ohio to visit my mother. As it happens, Des Moines is the midpoint between Boulder, CO and Whitehouse, OH. I would always stop to see Grandma and usually would make it there by supper time. She would always be excited to have me join her supper table and show me off to her friends. One time, we were ordering dessert and one of the options was spumoni ice cream. I had never heard of it before and we each ordered it, joking around that we weren't sure what it was. Together, we learned that spumoni ice cream combines layers of chocolate, cherry and pistachio. For some reason I remember that detail well. Every time I see spumoni ice cream on a menu, I think back to my Grandma and getting to sit down for supper with her in the middle of, what at the time was, a huge road trip.”

Callan: “Grandma never missed an opportunity to proudly introduce me to Calvin staff whenever I visited. This made her so excited that she frequently forgot to eat the food they brought her.”

Kylie: “The most special memory I have of Grandma would be Thanksgiving 2024. My Mom and I were visiting her and decided to bring a board game called “Blank Slate.” The rules were fairly simple: You’re given a word or two and have to finish it with the first word that comes into your head. You write that word down on a mini white board, and if you match with other people, you get a point. As we were playing, she had the best time. She was very animated- laughing, making faces, and eyes widening. Every time we threw out an answer, she was laughing or surprised by the other answers she would hear. Here and there, she would misunderstand the word, and give a funny answer. She would laugh even harder when she made a mistake! I thought it was so sweet that she could laugh at herself, which is something I admired about her. We had the best time throughout that week. I’ll always cherish our memories together. “

Ryan: “My favorite memories of Grandma were going through old photos albums in the house in Van Horne. She always had so many personal anecdotes-what was going on in people’s lives, a funny quip, and thoughtful advice that really stuck with me. Her care and attention to the

lives of everyone that knew her demonstrated empathy and compassion that defined her.”

Nicholas: “My favorite memory of Grandma has to be one of the quiet nights spent in Van Horne trying, and mostly failing, to catch the fireflies in between my hands in the early evening hours. I remember always running back to her when I finally caught one. And every time, without fail, as I showed her the tiny bugs clasped in between my hands, the love and attention she gave me made me feel like I was on top of the world. She made that night seem magical and it’s a memory I will always cherish.”

Jack: “One of my favorite memories with Grandma was smelling her strawberry rhubarb pie and asking her what “rhubarb” was because I had never heard of it before. Her wise answer was to try a piece first and see if I still had any questions after. After scarfing down the heaping plate of pie and vanilla ice cream she served me, my only question was, “Can I have another piece please?” She was always so caring and insightful about knowing exactly what to say to allow you to learn and experience at your own pace, and when to withhold that rhubarb is a vegetable and just let the pie speak for itself!”

Madison: “Playing Hi-Ho-Cherry-O with her and Boppa”

Josie: “When we used to stop and get her ice cream.”

Christopher: “When she let us make a map out of sticky notes.

Maverick: “When she let us make a map out of sticky notes.”

Sebastian and Isabelle: Eating homemade ice cream with Mamma at Logan family reunions.

Ryleigh: “When I was little, I went out with Grandpa JJ’s Mom, and Hayden. I would always explore the outside area. I would bring back rolly pollies, flowers, and plants to Grandma Logan. She would love to hand me jolly ranchers. We enjoyed our visits and will miss visiting.”

Hayden: “I always remember when I used to go out to visit Grandma and pick out flowers and acorns. That was my favorite thing to do with Grandpa JJ and Grandma."