John Charles Little Sr., 80

John Charles Little passed away peacefully Nov 20, 2023, to be with his wife, Maureen.

John was born April 15, 1943, in Tulsa, Okla., to Pauline and William (Charlie) Little. From an early age, he was an avid sports fan, but his passion was baseball. Listening on the radio to the then-Brooklyn Dodgers, he followed them with their move to Los Angeles, watching or listening to every game he could. He could recall all the great players and events in Dodger history.

When he was a young man, his family moved to Hawthorne, Nev., where he enjoyed playing all sports, but baseball was his favorite. He played from Little League to high school and was even picked up to play on a Marine Corps team at the local base.

It was in his high school years that he met the love of his life and best friend, Maureen Dickison. They married shortly after he graduated from high school and remained married for 55 years before her passing in 2016.

He attended the University of Nevada Reno to pursue a degree in civil engineering. John and Maureen started their family in Hawthorne, as he worked on his degree while working for the power company.

Upon graduation, he worked for the Florida and the Texas state highway departments. In 1969, he moved the family to Kellogg, Idaho, for a job with the Idaho Transportation Department, working in the Osburn office. For several years, he was one of the lead surveyors on the Interstate 90 road project from Mullan to the top of Lookout Pass. In 1976, he moved the family to Post Falls and worked in the Coeur d'Alene district office until his retirement.

He was active with his children, on family vacations to the Oregon coast, Disneyland and the World Fair in Spokane. He felt sports were important in growing up and encouraged his three children to play and would attend every event they participated in. He followed his passion for baseball by coaching Little League and Babe Ruth in Kellogg and the American Legion in Post Falls. The highlight of his coaching was winning the 1979 American Legion State Championship.

John and Maureen enjoyed traveling, organizing cruises to the Caribbean islands, or whitewater rafting trips with coworkers and friends. Their favorite travels were camping trips in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, venturing to Canada and the Midwest. He enjoyed fishing the local lakes and rivers and the occasional charter off the Oregon coast.

John is survived by his sons, John Jr. and Robert (Jayne) and his daughter, Susan. Also, his family adopted son Tom Sorci (Kim).

Eight grandchildren: Taylor (Curtis Ashby), Haylee (Randy Pegues), Raechel, Angelene (Michael Leach), Sami (Swade Gerken), Michael, Nathan and Brennon.

Eleven great-grandchildren: Ava, Colton, Lindsey (Ashby), Landen, Ryann, Frankie, Odin, Zeke (Pegues), Hazel, Waylon and Wilder (Gerken).

A celebration of life will be planned in the near future for family and friends.