‘Something I’ll never forget’

Michael and Anna Rose Loger were high school sweethearts. When Anna died this fall at the age of 45, her husband, a sixth-grade math teacher in Mount Horeb, faced a string of painful firsts: His first day without her. His first night alone. His first birthday without the love of his life by his side. Each milestone clawed at the wound of his mourning, and sometimes he struggled to get out of bed and face another day. As his 46th birthday approached, he felt anything but festive.

“To be honest, I kind of wanted to stay in bed and just let the day pass,” he admits. “I felt like there was nothing to celebrate.”

But Loger didn’t stay in bed. Instead, he got up on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 30 and got ready for work. After all, the kids were counting on him.

“It’s just about trying to find motivation,” he explains. “Trying to find what keeps you going. Our son is in college, so it’s just me at home. What motivates me everyday is the kids. That’s why I get up every morning. To come here and laugh with them, and to teach them.”

On that particular morning, however, Loger had no idea what awaited him in the classroom. In secret, his many young students, their parents, and his younger sister, who happens to teach math in the classroom adjacent to his, had worked to prepare a special day. Led by parent Krista Thompson, they had discretely assembled a lengthy list of Loger’s favorite things. His favorite snack (Red Vines), his favorite restaurant (Buffalo Wild Wings), his hobbies (an array of sports) and even what size clothes he wears. They made the list, checked it twice, and got to work buying and collecting 46 special gifts for Loger on his 46th birthday. It would no longer only be his first birthday without Anna; it would also be the day the community reminded him that he is never truly alone.

The night before, they snuck all the presents into the classroom, so they were there when he arrived for work the next morning.

“The parents had reached out to me and asked for help making a list of things he would want,” explains his sister and co-teacher, Tiffany Forseth. “He had no idea.”

“Our community has been amazing with all our family has been through,” she adds. Along with a pile of presents, there was a cake, a big group hug, and a few bittersweet tears.

“It was so heartwarming,” says Forseth. “The kids were in tears. We were in tears. We just have such special kids in this community.”

“It was just one thing after another,” explains Loger. “Somehow the community took this day, a day I wasn’t really looking forward to, and made it something I’ll never forget. It was mind blowing. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest.”

Anna Loger died on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at her and Michael’s home in Blue Mounds. A graduate of Wisconsin Heights High School in 1995, she was also an educator, working at Prairie View Middle School. Friends described her as courageous and positive, even when facing an onslaught of medical problems that lasted for many years before her passing. In life, she needed, and received, a new kidney, which was donated by Jonas Weber. She faced cancer with dignity, said those who knew her.

“I could brag about Anna forever,” says Loger.

“She’s the reason I’m a teacher,” he continues. “I didn’t want to lose her, so I followed her to college, and [she’s the] reason I’m the person I am today.”

So, what would she have thought of this unique surprise party that took place early on the morning of November 30?

“She would have loved it,” says Forseth.

“I know she had her hands in it,” adds Loger.

Thompson says it’s exactly the kind of story people should hear, and share, this holiday season.

“[O]ur students rallied together and recognized that another individual besides themselves needed a little extra love and support,” Thompson says. “The amount of love, support, empathy, and tears shed in the middle school on November 30 was absolutely heartwarming.”