Perry Twp. farmer remembered for his love of farming

By Carol McIntire

Editor

Luke Logan tragically died last week doing what he loved most: farming.

The 44-year-old lifelong Carroll County resident was killed when he was run over by a gravity wagon filled with oats in a field off Aster Rd. July 23.

He was remembered by over 400 people who gathered at the family farm in Perry Twp. July 27. Forty fellow farmers paid tribute with a tractor parade from Perryville out SR 164 to the family farm, where the ceremony was fittingly held in the calving barn. 

Luke’s older brother, Paul, who was his farming partner along with their mother, Susan, and sister, Rachel, remembers his brother as someone who had a great sense of humor, loved his family and the farm.

“We are the sixth generation to farm the family farm, which dates back to the 1830s,” Paul said. “We farmed together since we were kids.” 

The two grew up in the county 4-H program as members of Petersburg Livestock 4-H club and exhibited steers and hogs at the county fair.

“Luke had some grand championships in the carcass contest,” Paul remembered.

The brothers farmed over 500 acres, growing all the crops to sustain a herd of over 100 cow/calf pairs, maintain a feed lot and support a hog operation, which is managed by Susan and Rachel. 

“Like all farm kids, we learned to work on the farm at a young age,” Paul said. “By the age of 20, Luke was doing the majority of the field work.”

Following graduation from Carrollton High School in 1998, Luke went off to the University of Akron where he received a bachelor’s degree in education, followed by a master’s degree with a certification as an intervention specialist.

He taught special education at Claymont High School for the last 20 years.

“Luke had the summers off, so he did all the hay making,” continued Paul, who works off the farm. “He ran the combine, picked corn – he did a lot on his own. We worked together in the evenings. “We were workaholics. We worked from sunup to sundown.”

Paul then backed up a little saying, “Well, it wasn’t all work. We were both big hunters. We hunted coon, deer, rabbit, groundhog…just about everything. He was my farming partner, hunting partner and my best friend. I have lots of wonderful memories.”

In recent years, Luke trapped groundhogs.

“He usually got over a 100 year,” Paul said. “He was up to 90 this year before the accident.”

For Luke, even trapping was a family event. 

“He’d drive up to our house (Paul and his wife Laura’s home near the family farm) on the four-wheeler. Our daughter, who is 7, would hop on the four-wheeler behind him and they’d go check traps. He was at our house every day. He’d walk up, ring the doorbell and look through the window at the girls. They would run through the house laughing at him. “They loved Luke.”

Luke’s high school baseball coach, Curt Hensley, remembered Luke as a quiet kid his freshman and sophomore years, but came out of his shell as a junior.

Luke was a standout pitcher for the Warriors and pitched the first game at the Carrollton Field of Dreams, where he notched the first victory on the mound.

He also coached baseball at Claymont for a few years.

He was active in Carroll County Farm Bureau and its programs in Carroll County. 

Former Carroll, Harrison and Tuscarawas Counties Farm Bureau Organizational Director Michele Specht remembers Luke as someone who was quiet but got things done.

“Luke served on my Carroll County Farm Bureau Board for several years,” Specht said. “He was one of those young farmers that organizational directors seek to find to make the organization better, to attract other young farmers and fight to protect agriculture. Luke didn’t always say a lot, but when he talked everyone listened. He was a wonderful, kind, sweetheart of a guy. He will never be forgotten by anyone who knew him.”

Luke was also loved by his school family at Claymont.

School officials posted the following announcement on the district’s Facebook page.

“Claymont City School District mourns the loss of a valuable member of our high school family, Mr. Luke Logan. Luke will be remembered for his sense of humor and his generous spirit. He connected with students on a personal level, especially those who shared his passions of farming, hunting and baseball. He will be deeply missed by the students and staff. We extend sympathies to the family and friends at the time of sadness.”

A report filed in the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office noted Paul could not reach Luke by phone the afternoon of the accident.  

 Paul told the deputy he last spoke to Luke about 3:50 p.m. Luke was combining oats in a field on Aster Rd. Paul was going to come back and grab a wagon, and then go cut hay. He was waiting for his brother, called on the cell phone and couldn’t reach him. He returned to the field about an hour later and found Luke laying partially under the wagon. 

From what could be determined by the deputy, the wagon had been sitting on a flat area of the field. It began rolling downhill. Luke attempted to turn the tongue on the wagon, lost his footing and was run over by the loaded wagon.