Donna Grace Logan, 88, Nevada, MO, passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Hospice House of Kansas City, MO. She was born December 12, 1937 in Amerman Hospital in Nevada, but soon transferred, with her mother, to the new Nevada City Hospital and was its first newborn. Donna was the daughter of George M. Logan and Mariana Gage Logan, and named for her grandmothers. Funeral services will be held at 11:00a.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at the United Methodist Church, Nevada, MO, with Pastor Michelle Whitlock officiating. Friends may call from 10:00-11:00a.m. prior to the service.
A long-time print journalist, Donna was a frequent contributor to the Nevada Daily Mail, starting with a column while a student at Nevada High School, where she graduated in 1955.
She was a news-editorial graduate in 1960 of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and also earned a masters degree in her field from the University of Colorado in 1986, in order to teach journalism classes. Her career covered many phases of print journalism, from reporting to public relations to teaching. She started her career as a reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, where varied assignments took her from the Broadmoor Hotel to the Air Force Academy for President John F. Kennedy’s address to the graduates, to the groundbreaking for the NORAD facility in Cheyenne Mountain.
Some highlights of her sit-down interviews with entertainers of the day included Carol Channing, Peter Nero, Johnny Mathis, Nat “King” Cole, Liberace, Ray Bolger, and Marlene Dietrich. She also recalled a lunch with Myrna Loy and interviews with Jack Benny and Nelson Eddy, and, in Denver, with researcher Jonas Salk, futurist Buckminster Fuller, and author Clare Boothe Luce.
Donna’s writing versatility continued at The Denver Post, especially covering environmental and medical issues. She reported on the city’s first successful heart transplant. A special assignment was a week-long raft trip on the wild Colorado River through the entire Grand Canyon to Lake Mead.
Turning to public relations, she became the first public information officer for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, during the Bond-Phelps administration, and worked for the AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, and in Denver, Colorado. In teaching, Donna instructed journalism classes at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley.
Donna traveled extensively on her vacations, including eastern and western Europe, the Soviet Union, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and all U.S. states.
As a sixth generation Nevadan, Donna maintained a special interest in area history. The town was established in 1855 on farmland owned by her great-great-grandparents, Benjamin Baugh and Maria Boone Baugh, and their neighbor Thomas H. Austin. She was a member of the Vernon County Historical Society and a supporter of the Bushwhacker Museum. In 1986, Donna collected and published “Scenes of Past Nevada”, a collection of columns written by her friend, Betty Sterett, for the Nevada Daily Mail.
She proudly recognized her family contributions to Nevada. Logan Field, the Nevada High School gridiron, was donated by her great-grandfather, George E. Logan, to the Nevada School Board, when president of the board. His daughter and five of his grandchildren were NHS graduates. Donna’s father, George M. Logan, also served 20 years on the school board.
George E. co-founded the Logan-Moore Lumber Co. in Rich Hill, MO, in 1882. The Nevada lumberyard, located at 212 E. Walnut St. and a landmark for 80 years, was established a decade later.
She loved the outdoors, hiking, skiing, and was a decent golfer. Donna also was a crack shot with the NHS Rifle Club which used the old armory basement range. Photography was a favorite hobby.
Donna retired in Nevada in 2007. She was a 60-year member of both the PEO Sisterhood and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a past regent of the Elizabeth Carey Chapter, DAR. She also enjoyed friendships in the Research Club and the Nevada Country Club Rowdy Bunch. Donna was a past board member of the Nevada Regional Medical Center Foundation and a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her beloved parents and her sister Lynne Gage Logan Clawson. Survivors include cousins, Mrs. Ralph Gage, Lawrence, KS; Dr. George and Terry Gage, Paola, KS; Dr. Robert and Sheri Gage, Derby, KS; and Jane Lucas Stewart, Niskayuna, NY. Other survivors are Walt Gage, Tonopay, AZ and Cheryl Johnson, Palouse, WA.
Memorials may be made to the Nevada R-5 Foundation, in care of Ferry Funeral Home.
