James Steven Logan

James Steven Logan, age 46, a resident of Columbia, TN, passed away on Friday, August 15, 2025 at his residence. This is the story of James Steven Logan. I bet most of you didn’t know that his first name was James, because you probably called him Steven the whole time. So for the rest of this story, it only makes sense to refer to James as Steven.

Steven was born on November 9, 1978, in the county that bears his family name, Logan County, in Russellville, KY. Steven was the son of James Woodrow Logan and Dorothy Nell Logan. Steven was also the youngest of four children; his sisters Debbie, Marsha, and a sister he had not met here on Earth, Lisa Diane Logan.

Steven grew up in the Edwards community just outside of Lewisburg, KY. Living in the Edwards community meant that he was able to experience the type of childhood that many of us wish we had growing up; riding his bike up and down the road, playing in the woods all day, visiting with all the neighbors, and exploring where the old railroad tracks used to cut through the community. His sisters were also responsible for making sure that he grew up listening to the best music out during the 80’s.

Steven attended Lewisburg Elementary School from kindergarten to 8th grade. As a student, he was known to be the quiet one in class, the studious one in class, or the most responsible student in class. But, there were a few incidents that happened while Steven was at Lewisburg that would make for some of the best stories. In 1st grade, Steven had a talent for making paper airplanes. He was so good at this that one day he decided to conduct a test flight by launching his newest paper airplane across his classroom. Nobody in class witnessed this except for a single classmate. The airplane was so well constructed that not only sailed across the room, but it also struck a teacher in the head as she walked past our classroom. When questioned by his teacher, Mrs. Gaston, Steven denied throwing it. When asked if anyone saw who threw it, that one student that did see it refused to tell on Steven. They both got in trouble for lying and that is how Steven and Adam became best friends for life! Proverbs 17:17 states, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” At that moment, the two would begin a friendship that would grow into a true brotherhood.

Steven also had a lapse in judgement one day during lunch when he decided to try out a new method for “popping” milk cartons by pounding them with a fist. Little did he know that the principal was standing right behind him when did it. That was Steven’s second time getting in trouble at school.

Then there was the time that Steven’s best friend was planning on riding home with him on the bus. Adam got into a brief argument with another student on the bus, which led to it turning into a physical fight. Steven, getting on the bus and not knowing why they were fighting, jumped into the fight to defend his friend. The bus driver was told about the fight, to which he threatened us with going to the principal’s office the following Monday. Their weekend was ruined. On Monday, the bus driver never reported the incident and Steven avoided getting in trouble.

These stories are evidence to the kind of character Steven had as a kid. At times he took some risks and Steven was willing to look out for his friends, no questions asked. He was very intelligent and well respected by teachers and classmates. One of his favorite teachers was Joe Bailey, who also happened to be the very same bus driver that decided to let him go with a stern warning for fighting on the bus. Mr. Bailey was his art teacher that inspired Steven to develop his artistic ability.

Steven attended Logan County High School and was a member of the high school band, which helped to channel a natural talent for music and a joy for comradery. This experience helped develop friendships with many more classmates and the well-earned respect of his band directors. Along with being in the band, Steven elected to take several art classes in high school. His art teacher, Mrs. Gregory also saw Steven’s talent and encouraged him to learn more skills and experiment with new styles of expression. This encouragement would help Steven focus on his future and help to guide his career path. Art class is also where Steven met Corey, a classmate that was also very skilled in class. The two became lifelong friends and would both continue an education in art and design.

Steven and Corey moved to Nashville to attend the Nossi College of Art & Design. As roommates, they experienced life in the big city. Nashville was not like home and this was a time when Steven’s car was stolen. The car was eventually recovered with a little damage, but still driveable. Unfortunately, Steven found out that even though his car was recovered, it was still entered as a stolen vehicle - as he was pulled over by every police officer in White House, TN.

But, not all experiences Steven had while living in Nashville were bad. While in college, Steven was also working at a well known retail store. One day while at work, he was walking to the break room when he ran into a co-worker. This co-worker had seen him before, but they had not spoken to one another. Steven later shared that he immediately fell in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. His exact words were, “I got lost in her eyes the moment we looked at one another.” Never had he ever spoken this way about anyone he was attracted to. This was the most serious Steven had ever expressed his feelings for and there was no denying that he was in love. That lucky girl was Katie Balch.

The Bible reads in Proverbs 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Steven and Katie would continue their courtship and be married on October 4th, 2003. Over the years, their marriage would not only bring adventures and unique experiences, but would strengthen their love for one another during challenging times. Katie was there for Steven in the loss of both his parents. Steven was there for Katie after the loss of her grandparents.

In August, 2009, Steven & Katie welcomed a baby boy into this world named James Baylor Logan (I bet you didn’t know his first name was James either). Steven was always proud of Baylor and was eager to make those father-son moments with him. Several years later, in September of 2012, Steven’s faith would be tested during the birth of their daughter, Aubrey. Steven had to run back and forth between the NICU where Aubrey was at and ICU where Katie was. Steven rotated between holding Katie’s hand at her bedside and holding Aubrey in his arms in the hospital nursery. Steven shared that this was one of the scariest moments of his life, knowing only because of GOD would Katie and Aubrey survive this ordeal.

Steven loved being a husband to Katie and a loving father to Baylor and Aubrey. Many memories were made with his family over the years; taking the kids to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game, vacationing at the beach, building LEGO sets together with Katie, taking Baylor to Boy Scout meetings, attending the “Daddy-Daughter” dance with Aubrey, and an endless number of moments that will forever be held in the memories of Katie and the kids.

Steven made a career out of his experience with artistic design when he was hired by a small printing company. His job included designing and printing large jobs for multiple organizations across the country. His dedication for producing high quality work led him to eventually take over the business, and establish himself as a well respected small business owner in the Mt. Pleasant, TN community. His business “Printertainment” was known for producing quality work and long lasting partnerships with his customers. Several years later, Steven partnered with another small business owner to create “PaperWeight”, a business that focused on meeting the needs of their local customers. This decision was based on his loyalty to provide a service to the community that he loved and to the other small business owners in his community. This reflects GOD’s desire for us to not only work, but to honor GOD through our work.

Here we are today, trying to sum up in a few words the entire life of one man that had a direct impact on anyone that ever met him. Steven was a son, a little brother, an uncle, a cousin, a friend, a neighbor, and a co-worker. He lived out his life as a husband to Katie, and a father to Baylor and Aubrey. That is how Steven lived his life with us. But, that’s not the end of Steven’s story.

Adam had always invited Steven to church over the course of their time in school. One night after a guys night out, Adam felt convicted to ask Steven where he thought he would spend eternity. This can oftentimes be a tough question to ask your closest friend, especially when you’re not sure how they might respond. It was that night when Steven shared that he had previously given his life to Christ and had asked Jesus to enter his heart. He shared that he had attended church with his cousin and had heard how Jesus died for our sins. At that moment he knew that he wanted to surrender his life to GOD.

Today, we mark the end of Steven’s life here on Earth and the beginning of his eternal life in Heaven with GOD our creator and Jesus our Savior.

You may share condolences with the family at the Heritage Funeral Home website: www.TnFunerals.com.