SPUDE, Logan

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, Arizona Tuesday, April 08, 2014 Logan Spude The vibrant life of 26 year old Logan Spude was tragically cut short on April 2, 2014 in Cottonwood. The Cottonwood resident was waging a valiant battle against substance abuse, when a single lapse of sobriety took his life. Logan's passing is a tragic reminder that a single choice can have tragic consequences. On November 8, 1987, Logan was born to Dale and Barbara Spude in Cottonwood, Arizona. He was always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. The best of his many friends was his brother Ryan whose life was also tragically cut short in 2003. Logan graduated from Mingus Union High School in 2006 and was a formidable defensive lineman in the State Championship game. He attended Yavapai College and worked for a time at Rusty's Morning Star Ranch and then as an emergency room attendant. Most recently Logan worked with his father in the family business, Red Rock Masonry and at The Grasshopper Grill and Spirits. Deeply intellectual, fond of the outdoors, gregarious and fun-loving, a day in Logan's life might include tubing down a river with a host of friends and finishing the evening in solitude reading A Tale of Two Cities or 1984. He loved mountain biking, his garden, and duck hunting with his dog Brewster. But most of all, he loved his family. What most remember of Logan was his "infectious smile" and that he cared-truly cared-for his friends and family. He was strong and tough, yet amiable and sensitive. His affable smile lit up the room wherever he went and he had a sincerity about him that made him instantly liked by nearly everyone he met. To have had a friend like Logan was a true blessing. The sun just doesn't seem as bright since Logan is gone. Logan's friends and family will celebrate his life Saturday, April 12, 2014, from 3 pm to 6 pm at Georgia Frontier's Ranch at 1385 Loy Road in Cornville. Bring a dish, photographs and stories of your time with Logan, but please respect the family's wishes for an alcohol-free service. Afterwards, feel free to join Logan's family and friends at The Grasshopper Grill and Spirits. Ralph Waldo Emerson said "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded." By this standard, Logan's brief life was a monumental success. In lieu of flowers please send a donation to Rusty's Morning Star Ranch at P.O. Box 759, Cornville, AZ 86325. An online guestbook is available to sign at www.westcottfuneralhome.com. Information provided by survivors.