Marilyn Logue

Marilyn Ann Logue, 77, of Dublin, Ohio, passed away peacefully Friday, April 29, 2022, at Senior Star’s Dublin Assisted Living and Memory Support due to complications from Lewy body dementia.

Marilyn was born on March 27, 1945, in Marietta, Ohio, to parents Howard Clarence (1902-1990) and Goldie Wynn (1910-1995) Logue.  Also preceding her in death was her only sibling, beloved younger sister Janet Logue Reed (1948-1980).  Surviving Marilyn are adoring niece, Kimberly Ann Reed, of Washington, D.C., and nephew, Mark Howard Reed, of Buckhannon, West Virginia.  Marilyn, by example, taught her niece and nephew about the importance of being committed to lifelong education and growth, loving animals and nature, engaging in cultural activities, and appreciating history.

Marilyn attended Washington Elementary School and graduated from Marietta High School in 1963.  She also attended the First Presbyterian Church with her family while growing up in Marietta.  Marilyn received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Bowling Green State University in 1967, Master of Science in Library Science from the University of Kentucky in 1969, and Master of Arts in Instructional Design and Technology from Ohio State University in 1989.

In 1968, at age 23, Marilyn wrote that her “main purpose in life is to help people . . . [and] the best way that I can think of to help my country is by working with its young people, helping them with their problems and teaching them to care for each other.”  For the twenty-eight years of her professional career, Marilyn did just that.  She served as the Librarian and Media Specialist at Sedalia Elementary School (1973-2001) in Columbus where she was dedicated to and inspired her students and their literacy.  According to her late friend, Dr. Clyde Hobson Dilley, Marilyn “spent countless hours of her own time supplementing the library’s holdings by checking out books from public libraries and carting them in her Radio Flyer wagon.”

Upon retirement, Marilyn received a letter from President George W. Bush, whose wife Laura, like Marilyn, was an elementary school teacher and librarian.  President Bush noted: “I know how proud your family, friends, and colleagues must be of your record of service and accomplishment.  Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for many years of happiness in the future.”

Marilyn found that happiness in retirement in a variety of ways.  She had a special place in her heart for books, bird watching, ballroom dancing, tai chi, and the arts.

Even while living in Columbus as an adult, Marilyn remained a Mariettan at heart and regularly spent time at 703 Fifth Street, her family home which was built for her paternal grandparents, Edward Richard (1866-1949) and Ramelia Altman (1868-1941) Logue in 1912.  Her maternal grandparents, Lawrence Lincoln (1873-1949) and Matilda Morris (1878-1928) Wynn, were from nearby Tunnel, Ohio.  Marilyn supported local causes including the Washington County Public Library Local History and Genealogy Library, Washington County Historical Society, The Castle, Peoples Bank Theatre, and Friends of the Lower Muskingum River.

During her tenure as President of the Columbus Chapter of the Wild Ones, an organization which focuses on native plants and natural landscapes, Marilyn helped create the prairie at Whetstone Park.

Genealogy was of great interest to Marilyn.  She spent time in Europe researching her family history and was the direct descendant of American Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans.  Marilyn was a Member of the Board of Trustees and Historian of the Ohio Chapter of Palatines to America, an organization which focuses on German genealogical research.  She also served as Archivist for the overarching National Palatines to America organization and was a faithful volunteer in its resource center for many years.

Marilyn served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Aldus Society, a nonprofit organization that supports literary events in Central Ohio.  And, as she did with all her endeavors, Marilyn shared her love of Marietta with all those she encountered in Columbus.  When Marilyn received the Aldus Society’s most preeminent award—the Carol Logue (no relation) Biblio-Fellowship Award— in 2014, Bobby Rosenstock from JustAJar Design Press in Marietta—and an Aldus Society speaker at Marilyn’s invitation—remarked, “[s]he clearly has a great appreciation for the rich history and charm of her hometown of Marietta[.]”

Marilyn published numerous articles on diverse topics—such as “The First Purpose-built Main Public Libraries in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland” and “The Belpre Farmers’ Library: First in the Northwest Territory”—and books on her Washington County relatives.  Most notably, the Washington County Historical Society republished one of Marilyn’s articles, “Muskingum River Lock No. 1 at Marietta, Ohio,” in its quarterly journal, The Tallow Light, this past winter (Volume 52; No. 4; 2021).  Marilyn, over the years, said: “The Tallow Light is precious to me.”

Marilyn is interred at the Logue family plot at East Lawn Memorial Park along with the ashes of another joy in her life, her five cats: Clarence, Clarissa, Top Cat, Hugo, and Bonsai.

A public memorial service officiated by Marilyn’s cousin, Dr. Lloyd Dennis, to celebrate Marilyn’s life will take place at The Peoples Bank Theatre (224 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH  45750) on Saturday, May 14 at 11:00 am.

Also at the Peoples Bank Theatre later that evening, Marilyn will be remembered at the start of the 8:00 p.m. performance of “The Fields of Gettysburg,” a historically accurate song cycle presentation about the lives touched by this epic American Civil War battle.  For more details, see https://peoplesbanktheatre.com/event/the-fields-of-gettysburg/.

Marilyn’s family extends deep gratitude to the extraordinary staff at Dublin Assisted Living and Memory Support, Capital City Hospice, and Dublin Methodist Hospital for their loving and compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Washington County Historical Society for The Tallow Light c/o WCHS, 346 Muskingum Drive, Marietta, OH 45750 (please include “Marilyn Logue Memorial/The Tallow Light” in the check’s memo line) or online at   https://www.wchshistory.org/donations (select “In Memoriam Donations”).