Melvin J. Littlewood
1927-2012
Melvin J. Littlewood, 84, St. Joseph, Missouri died Thursday, April 5, 2012.
He was born August 13, 1927.
Mr. Littlewood was a Meteorologist and one of the first hurricane hunters of the United States Navy after World War II and retired as an Electronic Technician from the United States Air Force in 1965.
He was a member of the American Legion Post 359; Air Force Sergeants Association; Disabled American Veterans Chapter 6 (Life Member); and Parents without Partners, Inc.
Melvin was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and was a renowned organist and musician. He was an avid computer tutor and educator. He was also a member of the local Honda Goldwing Chapter, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John Walter and Meta Pearl (Allison) Piper; brothers, Ernest Piper and Orville Sonny McDowell; sisters, Lottie Charlotte (Piper) May, Wilma Nadine (Piper) King, Luella (Piper) Dunham; step-father and step-mother, John Hershal and Violet Verneal (Conlin) Littlewood; his first wife, Leona Carolyn (Dowell) Fargo; son, Fritz Gerald Littlewood; grandson, Shawn Michael Everett; and long-time special friend, Helen Gastineau.
Survivors: children, Audie Littlewood (Julia), Agency, Missouri, Beverly Littlewood, Chris Littlewood, Debora Littlewood, and Evelyn Rhymer (Jeff), Richland, North Carolina; 19 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren; niece, Diane Knisley, St. Joseph; and other nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian Burial: 2:00 P.M. Monday, St. Patrick Catholic Church. Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery. There will be a Parish Rosary 6:00 P.M. Sunday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory, where the Family will receive friends 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. Sunday. The Family suggests memorial gifts to Veteran’s Administration in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Julia and Family
Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near, so loved, so missed, so very dear.
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss…our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. Cindy Spangler (former cc nurse at wrdcc)
My family’s deepest condolences go out to yours in this difficult time. We share comfort that he is at peace with his Lord.
Isaiah 57:2 “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
Our prayers go out to your family, he will be dearly missed.
Karen Littlewood, wife of Warrent Officer Stephen Littlewood, USMC