LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
Logan Wilcoxson, a business owner, an accomplished climber, and an avid lover of the outdoors passed away May 19, 2021, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Logan was born on July 15, 1969, in Columbus, Indiana. After graduating from Edinburgh High School, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University in 1992.
In 2000, Logan married Melissa Blevins. The next year, they welcomed a son, Noah, and in 2005 they were blessed with a daughter, Sarah.
Logan began his career in news media working for TV stations in both Indiana, Colorado, and Arkansas. In 2003, Logan opened Little Rock Climbing Center with his wife Melissa. They were proud to be a part of the wonderful climbing community in Arkansas.
Logan was a founding member and past president of the Arkansas Climbers Coalition, an American Alpine Club Ambassador, an American Mountain Guide Association Single Pitch Instructor, a Climbing Wall Association Instructor, a USA Climbing Level 1 Route Setter, and a Wilderness First Responder. He guided climbing trips in Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Nepal.
Equal to Logan’s love for climbing was his love of teaching others to climb. His climbing center welcomed the young and the old, as well as experienced and inexperienced climbers. Logan helped countless climbers achieve personal fitness goals and earn confidence through their accomplishments.
Logan’s travels were nothing short of epic. The places he journeyed to, the people he met and the natural beauty he witnessed are things that most of us only read about. Logan loved to travel, and, on his sojourns, he immersed himself in local customs, foods, and the stories of his new-found global friends.
Logan was fearless. He lived and played hard, pushing his physical limits, and stretching his mental and physical capabilities. Since its inception, Logan competed in a climbing competition known as Horseshoe Hell – 24 hours of climbing. When the 12 hour competition was added, he took on that challenge as well, competing 36-hours of climbing in 2 days. Logan loved the comradery, the physical challenge, and the opportunity to take in all the beauty of the world.
Logan once said that after years of living in the flatlands of the Midwest it was in the mountains of Colorado that he truly discovered himself. Arkansas, nicknamed the natural state, afforded him the opportunities to be a rock-climbing guide, ultra-runner, cyclist, and backpacker.
In addition to his family and friends, Logan’s many dogs over the years held a special place in his heart. Logan and Melissa fostered dogs and gave a few their forever homes. They supported Central Arkansas Rescue Effort (CARE) and the Paws in Prison program.
Logan’s quick smile, kind heart and unrestrained laughter will be missed by all those who knew him.
Logan is survived by his wife Melissa Wilcoxson; children Noah and Sarah; parents Phil and Bonnie Wilcoxson; brother Dave (Jenni) Wilcoxson; sister Merica (Benny) Woods; nieces Elena (Wilcoxson) Crosier, Laurel Wilcoxson and Merrin Woods; as well as his mother-in-law Barbara (David) Beach and his father-in-law William (Margaret) Blevins.
Memorials may be made to the Arkansas Climbers Coalition (https://www.arkansasclimbers.org) or CARE?Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals (https://www.careforanimals.org).
A rendezvous will be held Friday, May 28 from 5-8 p.m. at the Little Rock Climbing Center. There will be another remembrance and celebration in Edinburgh, Indiana in late June.
