When I first met Eva on the telephone, I was immediately charmed by her warm Southern tones, her delicious sense of humor, and her optimistic view of the world. On a subsequent visit to Atlanta, she and I were interviewed by CNN. She asked the camera man whether her eyes looked okay in the sunlight. When he said yes she was relieved, and she shared that she had one prosthetic eye. Years after she lost vision in that eye, it became increasingly painful and the doctor recommended removing the eye. She was fearful that it would degrade her appearance. The surgery went well, and she found an excellent ocularist who made her a perfect match for her seeing eye. On the airplane returning from picking up her prosthesis, she noticed a man across the aisle staring at her. Feeling self-conscious, she asked if anything were wrong. "Not at all," he said. "Sorry to be staring, but you have the most beautiful eyes." "No problem," she said smiling, "you have no idea how much that means to me."

Her willingness to share incidents like that one, and to encourage, to educate, and to empower others was a hallmark of her life, not only in the VHL community. For eight years Eva Logan was a member of the committee of volunteers who answer the VHL Family Alliance hotline. Sweet and sassy, with a delicious sense of humor and an instinct for empathy, she spent her life as a "Tennessee Volunteer" in the truest sense.

Eva Hayes Logan was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. The youngest of five children, she was the impish one, always pestering and delighting her three older sisters and one older brother. She was friends with the two daughters of Dr. Long, a Protestant minister on their street. When she was staying over with them one night, Dr. Long asked the girls to quiet down and go to sleep. Eva matter-of-factly informed him that when she was staying over, the house rules did not apply.

Eva and Chris Logan were high school sweethearts who married and enjoyed twenty-eight years together as husband and wife. Chris attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and he and Eva traveled extensively before settling in the Atlanta area in 1989. Chris was in the U.S. Air Force and later became a commercial pilot. In each location where they established their home – Germany, Oklahoma, Nevada, Louisiana, Atlanta – Eva adapted and developed friendships that spanned the test of time.

From an early age she enjoyed volunteer service. She served in the Rainbow Girls as a teenager. In her adult life she was a preschool teacher, a physical therapist aide at the Veterans’ Hospital. Her greatest effort was in preventing domestic violence and protecting battered women. She served as a coordinator and speaker for the Fayette County Council for Battered Spouses. She was instrumental in the creation of Lighthouse, a transitional home for battered women and their children. She helped to start the Teen Dating Violence Program, educating teens in avoiding and stopping date abuse, and counseled with adult women to empower them to break the cycle of abuse.

In addition to her work with the VHL hotline, she spoke before groups of medical students and personnel at Emory University in Atlanta and at the National Cancer Institute. She spoke before committees of Congress on the subject of VHL, encouraging them to increase funding for VHL research at the National Cancer Institute.

When I was feeling anxious about VHL issues in my own family, I always knew I could phone Eva for a dose of warm down-home wisdom and perspective. Eva passed away January 25, 2002, at the age of 49. We celebrate her life and forever cherish her memory.

My sister Eva and I were closer than twins, though I was eight years older. I can’t find the words to describe how much I miss her voice and her presence in my daily life. We shared our deepest feelings, our impossible drams, our worries for the family and their health problems. We loved and encouraged each other endlessly.

Thank you for honoring Eva in this way.

-- Peggy M., Mississippi

My Aunt Eva

By Kari Beth N., Mississippi

You left this world just yesterday,
To be in a better place.
I already long to hear your voice,
And see your smiling face.
There is so much I wish I could have said to you,
So many thank you’s for your love and care.
But your time on earth is done,
And I will have to wait to get to heaven and tell you there.
I prayed for God to tell you,
How dearly I loved you and how much you meant to me,
I tried my best not to cry,
Because I did not want you to see.
You will never know how much you inspired me,
And how your life impacted mine.
Your bright light of love for all of life,
Will continue to shine.
I thank God for the Memory of you,
That I will always keep with me.
And I will push myself to make you proud,
Just you wait and see.

Eva was the first person I spoke with when I called the hotline and she even took the time to call me back a few times to see how I was doing. She was precious.

— Tara E., Colorado

How Could This Happen? We ask difficult questions of our advisors.

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 10:1, March 2002. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org.