Raymond Henry Little

Raymond “Ray” Little, 93, passed away on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at Park Place Nursing Home. Visitation will be Friday, December 29, 2017 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at O'Connor Funeral Home, 2425 8th Avenue North. A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at Emmanuel Bible Church with military honors, 3400 11th Avenue South. Burial will be Tuesday,January 2, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at Highland Cemetery. Ray was born January 22, 1924 in Northfield, MN to Clarence and Ethel (Hatfield) Little.He attended Little Prairie a one room school in Dundas, MN for his elementary years. In 1942 he graduated from Fairbault High School, Fairbault MN. Ray joined the army after graduation and served during WWII in Japan and Korea. He helped maintain the power generators of the Press Train in the DMZ. He attended Dunwoody Trade School Minneapolis, MN before joining a fledgling agricultural manufacturing company known as New Holland in 1948.His first territory was traveling North and South Dakota calling on dealers until he moved in 1953 to the Branch Office in Minneapolis, MN.He worked his way up to Branch Service Manager when in 1969 he moved his family to Great Falls MT to become the Western Montana Service Representative for New Holland. After 33 year of service with New Holland he retired in 1981.Following retirement he was Mr. “Fix It” at the Grandview Plaza Apartments for six years.In his spare time he liked to putts in his garden, work on family genealogies, photography and snow carvings. On December 12, 1951 he married Victoria Bateman in Long Prairie, MN and they shared the ups and downs of life for the next 54 years until she passed away in May of 2005.They had five children Carol, Chuck, Jim, Janet and Thomas. Ray leaves behind sons Thomas (Patty) of Columbus, MT, Jim (Lea) of Helena, MT, and Chuck (Kathy) of Walla Walla, WA; daughters Janet (Joseph) Buckley of Hermitage, TN, Carol of Great Falls, MT and honorary daughter Terri Bede of Great Falls, MT; 8 grandchildren : Carl (Courtney) Little, Rorry (Keli) Little, Katrinia (Joshua) Clement, Gavin (Krista) Little, Nicholas (Renee) Little, Ashley (Mark) Fowler, Emily Little and Padon Little; 12 great-grandchildren Lyvia, Teagan, Madison, Ashlynn, Temperance, Kaleb, Rylan, Teighlor, Kennedy, Crystal, Harmony and Justin. He was preceded in death by his dad, Clarence R. Little, his mother Ethel Hatfield Little Fjeld, step-father Sverre (Steve) Fjeld, and brother Robert Fjeld. The family would like to thank the staff of the Lodge Senior Living Center and Park Place Nursing home for the care of our Dad over the past 10 years: you enriched his life.Terri Bede we thank you for your love and the joy you brought to his life. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to a charity of your choosing.