Edward Little

Funeral Information

Services for Ed will be held on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 11 am at the Kaufman Funeral Home in Bad Axe. Officiating will be Rev. Cyle Harless. Burial will be in Colfax Cemetery in Bad Axe. Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 13, 2020 from 1 – 4 pm at the Kaufman Funeral Home in Bad Axe or Monday from 10 am until the service time at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, cards and memorials may be sent to Ed Little, P.O. Box 1394, Bay City, MI 48706. The family will be arranging for a memorial in his name with the Bad Axe Historical Society. To offer your condolences to Ed’s family, please go to www.kaufmanfuneralhome.com

Family of the Deceased

Ed is survived by two daughters and three sons: Michele and husband Iain Gunn of Bay City, Darcy and partner Linda Sanback of Saginaw, Edward and wife Colleen (Kolhoff) Little of Frankenmuth, Andrew Little of Portage and Perry Little of Bad Axe; three grandchildren: Mikayla, Nathan and Devin; Siblings: Doris Lawrence, June Little, Jewell Hacker, Erlene (Bob) Preston, Merlin (LaDonna) Little, Eunice McKenzie, and Daniel (Jan) Little. He was preceded in death by three siblings: Edgar Little, Phyllis Pate and Willet Little.

Biography

Edward L. Little, age 84 of Bad Axe, passed away on Thursday, December 10, 2020. He was born September 21, 1936 in Bad Axe, son of the late Charles E. and Vivian A. (Near) Little, the fifth of eleven children. He married Glenna Boland on December 3, 1960 in Elkton. She preceded him in death on September 8, 2012. Leaving home at 14 to apprentice himself to local farmers in exchange for room and board, Ed graduated from Bad Axe High School in 1955. From there he embarked on what would become a thirty year career with U.S. Steel Corporation, working on iron ore freighters, sailing the Great Lakes. Steadily working his way up from deckhand through the ranks to First Mate, he also earned his pilot’s license in navigation from the U.S. Coast Guard 20 years before retiring in 1984. Ed served on 39 vessels and took his wife along several times. Additionally, each of his children made a trip of at least a week to gain first-hand knowledge of the profession which kept their father away from home 6 – 15 months at a time. Ed was actively involved at Evangel Life Assembly of God, and the Bad Axe chapter of the Huron County Historical Society. Working alongside his Aunt Estella “Fern” Copeland, he was instrumental in gathering several of the cabins which are now included in the log cabin village near the Bad Axe Public Library. A favorite activity was guiding visitors through the cabins, some of which included furniture and items donated by his older relatives.

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