James E. Little

James (Jim) Earl Little passed away at 11:59AM on Sunday, February 8, 2026, with his wife and family at his side at his home in LaRue.

Jim was born to the late Rev. Earl and Helen (Warner) Little on February 25, 1932, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Jim was married to his lifelong wife, Wilma (Houk), on May 21, 1955. They were married for seventy wonderful years and relished traveling and spending time with family and friends and watching the various sporting events of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Wilma. Their love created Vicky Lynn (Dave) Wright, Michael James (Melodie Ferguson) Little, Jean Ann (Dennis) Wolf, and Deborah Lee Maloy. Also surviving are grandchildren: Brad (Kelly) Dutton, Sara (Eric) Boggs, Candace (Troy) Ellis, Ashley (Chris) Terzis, Cameron (Melanie) Wolf, Caitlin Nelson, David (Erika) Little, Kyle (Nicole) Maloy, and Cole (Lindsay) Maloy. He is also survived by twenty great grandchildren (soon to be twenty-one great grandchildren).

Jim is also survived by his brother, Robert (Lota) Little of Columbia, Missouri, and a sister, Linda (Dwain) Walter of Ft. Pierce, Florida.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and a son, Mark, who passed away in infancy.

Jim and Wilma married at Mt. Zion Church in rural Crawford County and lived in Upper Sandusky, Ohio before moving to the farm north of LaRue, where they have lived since 1957. Jim served as an Army Medic Sargent in the Korean War, 1951-1954. Upon returning from war, he began working at his father’s Eagle Nest Hatchery in Upper Sandusky. He then married in 1955 and continued working at the hatchery until he began his lifelong career as a maintenance technician at Whirlpool (Marion, Ohio) in 1962 until he retired in 1996. He enjoyed woodworking and made many wooden figurines, shelving, and a toy box for almost all of the twenty great grandchildren. He and Wilma also enjoyed traveling to various parts of the United States as well as Canada and Ireland. Their travels took them to all of the US states except California and Washington. They spent their summers in Michigan at his parent’s cottage, vacationing with family. They enjoyed spending time with grandkids and taking them on numerous trips such as Niagara Falls, Hershey, Pennsylvania, Cabbage Patch Kids, Crayola Factory and more.

Funeral services for James E. “Jim” Little will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, February 14, 2026, at the Lucas Batton Funeral Home in Upper Sandusky, with the Rev. Steve Hess officiating. Burial will follow at Old Mission Cemetery.

Visitations will be held on Saturday, 2 hours before service time, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions can be made to Kenton Alliance Church and can be sent to Lucas Batton, 476 S. Sandusky Ave., Upper Sandusky, Ohio, 43351.