Jane Logan

Imagine a woman who is strong and caring, loving, giving, and always generous, whose heart is her strongest muscle, and you begin to understand the way in which Jane Torrence Logan was a wife, mother, and friend. For her family, she was an inexhaustible source for happiness and love. Her presence was like the scent of her cooking—it warmed the room and always made you feel right at home.

By the year 1931, all Americans realized that the prosperity of the former decade had now reversed itself. With a failed economy and an increasing number of unemployed workers, the Great Depression spread through the country, making everyday life a challenge. Amidst this difficult time, Fred W. Torrence and his wife Edith Meng discovered a source of happiness with the blessing of their first child. Jane was born on July 9, 1931 in Helmsburg, Indiana, a town in Brown County, and two years later, her family was blessed again with the birth of her brother Jerry. Additionally Jane enjoyed the occasional companionship of her paternal half-siblings, George and Gail.

Life in Helmsburg, Indiana was slower and quieter than the modern norm. The Torrence family lived in a cabin that Fred himself had built, a cabin which continues to stand today. For quite some time, there was no electricity. Fresh water creeks ran through the property providing their water. Occasionally the family had to deal with a snake that had slithered its way into the cabin. For dinner, Jane’s mother often cooked what she shot—and at this time in Indiana’s history, deer was almost extinct. The Torrence family took care of animals of all kinds, but their dog Buddy was a favorite, as well as an avid squirrel hunter. For fun, Jane and her brother would sometimes knock-over outhouses, a prank that was especially popular on Halloween.

In Helmsburg the public school consisted of just a single room, where Jane would complete her elementary and high school education. Upon graduating, she took a job with the State of Indiana. At a holiday party she was approached by a man named John Logan. She told him that she wasn’t interested, but he followed her home all the same and continued to pursue her. The rest is history. Jane soon changed her mind and became quite interested, and a short while later, on February 19, 1955, the happy couple married in Indianapolis at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Just after their marriage, the newlyweds settled into an apartment on Talbott Street in Indianapolis. Next they would live in a two bedroom house in Speedway, before settling down permanently in a family built house in Carmel, a town belonging to Hamilton County. During these moving years, the Logan house began to fill itself with six children over a span of nine years: John, Kathy, Michael, Mark, Carol, and Janet. The final house in Hamilton County was much better suited to a large family, a home which is still owned under Jane’s name.

It is in this house in Hamilton County that Jane saw her six children grow up. She was a dedicated mother with a big, strong heart. With a large slew of kids to look after, Jane stopped working to focus entirely on her duties as a homemaker. She would remain at home until her youngest Janet reached the third grade. Her pleasures included gardening—she loved flowers—and sewing, a skill she used to make some of her children’s clothing. Her children knew her to be loving and generous, but Jane was also a firm disciplinarian. She would not wait until Dad got home, preferring to handle the problem herself. For the Logan family, life was frugal, but this only enabled everyone to enjoy the smaller pleasures. In the summertime a treat was a visit to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. Birthdays were celebrated with a cake and a present. In this way Jane and Jack provided their kids with a fun and happy childhood. One of her fondest memories comes from the family road-trips that they would take to visit Jane’s brother in Texas. It was quite an experience with so many children crammed into the car.

When Jane rejoined the workforce, she took a job with the Ben Franklin Store, which later became Airway and finally Target. In the early 1990s she would retire, but throughout her career she still found enough time to prepare her famous dinners. Her chicken and dumplings, gumbo, chili, and baked chicken and rice always hailed a full, eager dinner table. Likewise, her meals for Christmas and Thanksgiving always gained recognition, as did her pies. She would make everything from scratch, and this was the time when lard was still part of the recipe.

After a career spent working for Mobil Oil, Jack retired. He was sick, and Jane made it her primary responsibility to look after his welfare. In 1997 he passed away. Despite the difficulty of moving on, Jane forced herself to remain active. She volunteered at the Women’s Hospital of Indianapolis, and in her spare time she knitted baby caps for the newborns. Although Jack was Catholic, just like all of the children, Jane was never brought into the church until after his passing. With her daughter Kathy as her sponsor, Jane joined the Catholic Church in 1999.

These later years in Jane’s life were also marked with many happy moments. She saw the births of five grandchildren, Tiffany Logan, Susan Spencer, Bobby McDuff, Claire Logan, and Thomas Logan. Jane put the same amount of love and care into her relationships with her grandkids as she did with her own children. Her eldest grandchild remembers gravy bread on Saturday mornings. Whenever someone was injured, Jane took care of them. She had a real talent as a comforter, the sort of woman who can always make you feel better.

With her kind and loving way, Jane touched the lives of all who knew her. She was a special source of love and generosity for her family, who will greatly miss her and think of her often.

Jane died on December 15, 2004. Survivors include her children, John T. Logan, Kathy (Logan) Spencer, Michael M. Logan, Mark A. Logan, Carol T. Logan, and Janet K. Logan; brother, Jerry Torrence; grandchildren, Tiffany Logan, Susan Spencer, Bobby McDuff, Claire Logan, and Thomas Logan; half siblings, George and Gail. Friends and family will gather on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Leppert Life Story Funeral Home, Smith Carmel Chapel, 900 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. You are invited to visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a personal memory about Jane, arrange for flowers, or make a memorial contribution to the Alzheimer’s Association.