Travis Lee Heermann

NAPER - Travis Lee Heermann, 54, originally of Naper, died April 26, 2024, after a motorcycle accident on Dec. 21 2023.

A Life to Celebrate will be at the Naper Community Hall in Naper, Nebraska Aug. 17th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Travis was born Oct. 22, 1969, and was raised on the family farm near Naper, Nebraska where his great-grandparents John and Bertha Ludemann homesteaded. 

Travis graduated from Naper Public School in 1987 and was a loving son, brother, husband and stepfather. He was married to Chanel (Vandewege) on May 29, 2015 and they enjoyed many adventures together. 

He is survived by his parents Jerry and Dorothy (Dummer) Heermann; his siblings Cody (Mellissa) Heermann-Chloe, Samantha,Gavin;Casey (Jill) Heermann, Wyatt, Cassidy; and Rachel (Heermann) (Kip) Brewer, Camden, Evan, Preston;and his stepchildren Kaylen Helgason, Nykki Seybert (Jace and James), Joshua Seybert (Logan and Garion) and his step-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Alnard and Hilda (Ludemann) Heermann, Herman and Lena (Dvorak) Dummer, his first wife, Cheryl (Seybert) Heermann. 

Travis went on to receive a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, a master's degree in English from the University of Nebraska Omaha and was an Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate. He was an instructor at the University of Nebraska Omaha English Department, facilitator for Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and English Teacher in Fukuoka, Japan through the JET Program and was able to write and speak Japanese. Travis went on to become a remarkable author, freelance writer, award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, publisher, and editor.

During his prolific creative life, Travis wrote 30 books; many were under his own imprint, Bear Paw Publishing. These include 9 novels and a novella, plus 3 young-adult novels and 9 middle-grade books under his nom de plume T. James Logan. He also wrote 9 novels and nonfiction titles for his ghostwriting clients.Based on his writing successes, he was accepted into both the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and the Horror Writers Association (HWA).

Travis was an accomplished screenwriter and filmmaker. His screenplays have won numerous awards and have been performed on the stage. In 2021, he launched a film production company, Bear Paw Films. Its first project was a horror comedy short film called Demon for Hire, which won multiple awards including Best Director, Best First-Time Filmmaker, and Best Short. In addition to writing, Travis also produced and appeared on several podcasts, and served on programming at many conventions. In 2022, he was chosen as Author Guest of Honor at Mile High Con 54. 

Travis always found time for fun. He was a helluva poker player, along with being an evocative poet and a lifelong biker.He loved music of all kinds and was a multi talented artist including visual arts and playing guitar. Travis had a passion for travel—having lived in Japan and New Zealand and traveled extensively in foreign lands of Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cuba to name a few. 

Travis enjoyed cycling, collecting martial arts styles and belts, torturing young minds with otherworldly ideas, and monsters of every flavor. He was a pilot and once had a solo flight from Omaha to Norfolk, NE. Travis was a devoted Uncle and shared his love of many talents with his nieces and nephews every chance he got and never forgot a birthday.

Travis was in a tragic motorcycle accident suffering a traumatic brain injury on December 21, 2023, and gained his angel wings on April 26, 2024, at the age of 54 years. His light will always shine, we have beautiful memories, his love is still our guide, even though we cannot see him, he's always by our side.Fly high and spread your wings Travis.