Richard (Rick) Carlyle Little 1955-2012

LITTLE ATWELL MURDOCK

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/24/2012 at 11:25:11

Sioux City Journal
March 03, 2012

Rick Little, 56, of Danbury, Iowa, died unexpectedly Thursday, March 1, 2012, enroute to a Sioux City hospital after just having beaten a battle with cancer.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Danbury United Methodist Church with the Rev. Len Garrison officiating. Burial will be at the Little Sioux, Iowa, cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be after 4 p.m. Sunday, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mapleton, Iowa.

Richard (Rick) Carlyle Little was born March 10, 1955, at Little Sioux, Iowa, the son of LaVerne and Pearl (Atwell) Little. He grew up in the area and attended school at Blencoe, Iowa. He worked as a general laborer in the Onawa, Iowa, area for a number of years.

On Aug. 6, 1991, Rick married Sharon Murdock in Trenton, Tenn.

Rick then worked at Stanley Jones Construction with his brother, Dennis. Rick and Sharon moved to Mapleton in 2000 and later to Danbury. While in Danbury, Rick was primary in the shared care of his mother-in-law, Margaret Garrison. He was employed at GOMACO Industries in Ida Grove as a welder fabricator until the time of his passing.

Rick was a real outdoors kind of guy, enjoying camping and fishing. He was very proud of his motorcycle and went on a few poker runs with his brother, Danny. He was always doing something. One of his talents was woodworking and even making motorcycles out of match sticks. The time he found he enjoyed the most, was the time he spent with his 3-year-old grandchildren, Phoenix and Hailey, and his 1-year-old grandson, Landon. They loved rides on grandpa's motorcycle as well.

Rick loved going to his brother Danny's place at Blencoe almost every weekend for a visit. He would always stay for a meal prepared by his sister-in-law, Connie. He always bragged about her cooking.

Survivors include his wife, Sharon of Danbury; two daughters, Adrian Cunningham and Heath Gorden of Kiron, Iowa and Heather Cue and her husband, Josh, of Schleswig, Iowa; three grandchildren, Phoenix and Landon Gorden and Hailey Cue; two step-sons, Harold Pedersen and his wife, Cindy, of Wheaton, Kan., and Jerry Pedersen of Del, Okla.; three step-daughters, Wanda Schmidt and her husband, Bill, of Newton, Kan., Kimberly Beene of Vermillion, S.D., and Theresa Stark of Wichita, Kan.; numerous step-grandchildren and step great-grandchildren; five brothers, Danny Little and his wife, Connie, of Blencoe, Gary Little and his wife, Peggy, of Thomson, Ga., Dennis Little of Trenton, Tenn., Jerry Little of Des Moines, and Ronnie Little and his wife, Sherri, of Soldier, Iowa; two sisters, Patricia Reynolds of Milan, Tenn., and Vickie Bonine and her husband, Douglas, of Onawa, Iowa; and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as good friends and coworkers.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his mother-in-law, Margaret Garrison and his father-in-law, Harold Murdock; one sister and her husband, Verna and LeRoy Sturtevant; two sisters-in-law, Pat Little and Betty Little; one brother-in-law, John Reynolds; and a nephew, Larry Little.