Joan Elizabeth Little

Joan E. Little, 80, of Fort Dodge passed away Thursday, April 23, 2020 at Mercy Main in Des Moines. A Celebration of Joan's life will be held on Saturday, August 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 Pm at Rides Banquet Center. Graveside services will be held on Saturday August 1st at 11:00 at St. Francis Cemetery in Rockwell City with the V.F.W. Post 1856 and the U.S. Army Honor Guard conducting military rites. Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral is serving the family. Please note the date August 1st. Survivors include her sons James Little, Lieutenant Colonel US Army (Ret) and (Kate Ahrendsen) of West Des Moines, Alan (Karen) Little of Fort Dodge, Kenny (Diane) Little of Belmond, grandchildren Ryne (Lisa), Emily, Ellinor, Ryan, Katie, Kaysie and Eric, great grandchildren Kaleb, Rooney and Finch, sister Jenny (Jim) Blasey of Newton. She was preceded in death by her parents Howard and Mabel (Tripplet) Nicholson, infant brother Jimmy Nicholson and brother Robert Nicholson. Joan Elizabeth Little was born in 1939 to hard working farmers. She was the youngest of 4 - following Jimmy, Robert and Jenny. Being raised in the 40s and 50s helped instill a strong work ethic in her, which she eventually passed down to her three sons (Jim, AL, and Ken). She was not the type of girl to be inside - she preferred outdoor farm work with her Dad. Her parents were conscientious landowners and their property was always kept up, an attribute that Joan continued in her life. Her home was always welcoming, and she loved to have her flowerpots "just so" - down to having to always have a certain black flower planted every spring. At a young age Joan became a single Mom of 3 young boys. She embraced this life challenge and did the best for her boys - working extra jobs to keep ahead. She was always ready to help a person in need, but never wanted any credit for doing so. She was known to help other children who were going on hard times - slipping them money. Her heart was big, and she touched a lot of people. She was proud of her boys and her grandchildren - and would beam with pride when out with her family for dinner. Joan was notorious for sneaking up to the waitress and telling her to not let anyone else pay the tab. Her time in the National Guard was rewarding times for Joan and she was proud to be serving her country. She completed a deployment for Desert Storm - also attained the rank of Sergeant First Class. Being a proud veteran, her home was always flying an American flag. We all knew that any patriotic gift whether flag related, or military would brighten her day. Joan loved to travel to Texas - to visit her 4th son (her nephew Rob and wife Arlene). Every March, she and Ken and sometimes Kaleb would head out for a week. She loved these trips and looked forward to them already in December. We would be remiss if we did not credit her with making the BEST peanut clusters at Christmas - I think we all looked forward to our package of clusters. Her strong presence and of course that stubborn side, will never be forgotten. She served in the National Guard giving 24 years to her State and Nation, attaining the rank of Sergeant First Class. Joan was called to active duty in 1991 to serve during Operation Desert Storm. She worked at Iowa Beef and then Central Lab for several years. Joan later moved to Knoxville and was employed with the VA Hospital from where she retired. In retirement she returned to Fort Dodge and worked at the local VA Clinic. Joan enjoyed hunting, being outdoors and was an avid Iowa Hawkeye Fan. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.