Sharon Logan

Sharon Kay (Griggs) Logan, 84, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, finally found peace on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at her long-time home and business, Black Hawk Senior Residence, after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Sharon was born August 14, 1936 in Washington, Iowa, the second of four children of Lucian Orville Griggs and Ruth Virginia (Norton) Griggs. Sharon attended a one-room school house near West Chester through the eighth grade, and graduated from Washington High School, Class of 1954, where she was active in many clubs and cheerleading. She then attended Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in 1957. Sharon married the love of her life, local boy and football star Jackson Logan, on April 10, 1955. They were high school sweethearts and spent the next 64 years of wedded bliss together. Jack and Sharon had two children, Timothy “Tim” Logan and Paul “Andrew” Logan. After graduating from college, Sharon and Jack were both teachers. Sharon taught elementary school in the Arlington Public School system outside of Washington, DC beginning in 1958. In 1965, Sharon took a hiatus to begin a family, during which time Jack served in the US Army and various bureaucratic positions in Washington. While in Washington, they remodeled three homes on Capitol Hill. Greatly disturbed by the social unrest following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jack, Sharon and the boys moved to a farm in the cornfields outside of Marshall, Wisconsin, in February of 1973. There they continued their love of construction and began renovating farmhouses. Over the course of the next decade, Jack and Sharon saved or built a dozen homes. Sharon later returned to teaching, completing the course work for a Masters in Special Education at UWW, teaching in Jefferson and Dane counties. In 1983, while traveling to a jobsite in Whitewater, Wisconsin, Jack and Sharon noticed the historic, albeit dilapidated, Black Hawk Hotel building, one of the anchors of Fort Atkinson’s Main Street Historic District. Partnering with Jack’s brother, Jay Logan, and Jay’s wife Mavis, Jack and Sharon purchased and managed the Black Hawk Restaurant and Lounge. In 1991, with the help of the SBA and the wisdom of the late John McKenzie of the Bank of Fort Atkinson (now Johnson Bank), they converted the Black Hawk Hotel to a Community Based Residential Facility, now Black Hawk Senior Residence, which also served as their home. For the next 20 years, Sharon poured her heart and soul into caring for local seniors at the Black Hawk. She came by it honestly, her maternal grandparents, William and Blanche Norton, ran the County Farm in Washington County, Iowa, in the 1930s. Holidays were always an amazing family feast at the Black Hawk, from the huge Mother’s Day brunches, Father’s Day cookouts, family Thanksgivings to amazing Christmas parties for residents, family and friends. For many in the local community, Sharon was known for her love of cats—the Black Hawk teamed with both “public” as well as private cats, Sharon even had kittens for adoption in the lobby of the old hotel. Her favorite cats were Genie, Maggie and Maggie (so-named because it was easier to remember). More than her love of cats, however, Sharon was loved for her Black Hawk Cheesecakes, a recipe that was given to her by a student’s mother in 1958. In her final year at the Black Hawk, she personally baked and distributed 77 cheesecakes to local friends, family and referral sources. Sharon Logan’s Black Hawk Cheesecake Recipe Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the crust: 1 1/2c graham cracker crumbs 1/2c melted butter 1/4c sugar Stir together and press on the bottom and up the sides of a cheesecake pan. For the filling: 3 1/2 blocks room temperature Philadelphia cream cheese (not lite) 1 1/2c white sugar 1 tsp vanilla Combine using an electric mixer gently, creating as little air as possible. Then add 4 eggs one at a time, stirring minimally. Pour the mixture on the crust. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. To minimize cracks, put a pan of water in the oven while baking. After an hour, turn off the heat, crack the oven door and allow it to cool slowly before refrigeration. Once fully cool, enjoy as it is or add the topping. For the topping: 1 1/2c sour cream 1 tsp vanilla 2 TBS white sugar The longer you wait to serve it, the better it becomes, up to three days. Can also be frozen. Sharon K. Logan was preceded in death by her husband, Jackson Lee (Jack) Logan, her parents Lucian Orville Griggs and Ruth Virginia (Norton) Griggs, and fourteen brothers- and sisters-in-law: Cletus J. Kaska, Theo Logan, Kathryn (Logan) Clark, Maxine (Logan) Jones, Margery (Logan) Shew, John Logan, James Logan, Jay Logan, Clarence Shew, R. Paul Clark, Rhea (Buck) Logan, Carlin Jones, Mavis (Williamson) Logan, and Ada (Schwenke) Logan. Sharon is survived by her son SFC Tim Logan, stationed on active duty with the US Army Reserve in Sumner, Washington; her son Andrew Logan, of Koshkonong; her dearest older sister Virginia (Griggs) Kaska of West Liberty; and her brothers Allen Griggs of Washington, IA and Larry Griggs of Clive, IA. She is also survived by her dear friends Susan Straus of Waunakee, WI; Deanne “Dee” Spolum of Madison; and favorite daughters-in-law Carol Ochsner of Monroe, and Debbie (Ochsner) Thurber of Ashland; and many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 28, 2021 at the West Chester United Methodist Church where Jack and Sharon were married. Interment will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday morning at the West Chester Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to a local pet rescue or humane society. Black Hawk Senior Residence will host a Celebration of Life in the lobby of the historic Black Hawk Hotel at a later date. The Jones & Eden Funeral Home is assisting the family with local arrangements. The family would like to give special thanks to the carestaff of Black Hawk Senior Residence, Agrace Hospice, and also to Jeta Useni and all the caring waitstaff at Citrus Café (Janesville), the staff at Milton Family Restaurant (Milton) and the staff at the Fort Atkinson Family Restaurant (Fort Atkinson).

Sharon Logan

August 14, 1936 - May 18, 2021