On Sept. 3, 2011, we had planned to take our children to see a movie. However, one by one, the older kids couldn’t go. We worked in the yard as a family that morning. A few hours later, as Logan prepared to leave, I asked if he had on good hiking shoes and he kicked his foot in the air to show me he did. I said (as I always do) “I love you. Be safe!” He smiled his famous smile and his crystal clear, blue eyes sparkled. If I had only known!

Logan and his friend, Jay, hiked and talked of life, love, girls, school and Logan’s upcoming mission. On the way out of Logan canyon, a car cut them off and they blew a tire. Logan went to call us for help but discovered he had lost his cell phone on the hike. So instead, he struggled and changed the tire himself. He was tired and hot because he was wearing his beloved brown flannel shirt. As he dropped Jay off, Jay asked him to come in and rest and get something to eat, but Logan declined, saying he just wanted to go home.

We had also gone to Logan City that afternoon and were coming home around 6:30 p.m. There was trouble on the road and we were routed through Beaver Dam on the old road. I texted Logan and told him to not come home yet or to go through Sardine because there appeared to be a bad wreck. He never answered me back. I kept looking at that upper road for his car (hoping not to see it) but couldn’t make out any of the vehicles involved.

As we pulled up to our house, we were met by Lieutenant Lee Perry, our bishop, and a friend from the fire department. Our precious Logan had crossed the center line and hit another vehicle head-on. Through the Lord’s tender mercies, Logan died instantly.

The man Logan hit lost his right leg just below the knee, but he and his family have been blessed. The simple things in life have become more important to them. But his life is changed forever. We feel so bad for him and his family.

Two families’ lives were changed that day in the blink of an eye. We think Logan might have gone into a diabetic coma. Our 17-year-old is also diabetic, and he carries a snack kit in his car now. Logan never got his mission call here, but he did in Heaven. Logan was a donor and two people now see because of him.

He was a self-taught musician, playing the banjo, harmonica, dulcimer, guitar, ukulele and piano. He loved life and people were drawn to him because of his dynamic personality. He was loved by all who knew him.

A few weeks before the accident, Logan had posted on Facebook “It’s hard to see the whole picture unless you are helping paint it.”