Holly Jay Little

Holly Jay Little, 71, of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, passed away Saturday evening, April 8, 2023, at Crossing Rivers Hospital. He fought his battle with cancer and exceeded all his doctor’s life expectancy data. We are grateful for his fighting spirit and will keep that spirit in our hearts.

The oldest child/son of James Jay and June Little, was born on September 1, 1951, in Mansfield, Ohio.  He was raised on the family farm in Richland County and graduated from Lucas High School and Pioneer Joint Vocational School.

From a very early age, even before he could drive, Holly was fascinated with farming tractors, earth moving equipment, and 18-wheel semi-trucks. He turned this fascination into his lifelong career when he qualified for a CDL license. Over his lifetime, Holly drove many different types of semi-trucks. His loads were as varied and interesting as his numerous stories. He could tell you about all his loads, meat products, produce, bulk milk, construction supplies, commercial and household goods/products, airline equipment/supplies, oversized industrial and military heavy equipment. Holly had an amazing reputation with multiple trucking companies, they called on Holly to haul the most difficult oversized loads. He met each trip with a strong focus on safety, security, and timeliness. Over Holly’s lifetime, he traveled an average 165,000 miles a year x 49 years = over 8,130,000 miles or 326 times around the earth! His travels crossed all 48 States in the continental U.S. and the following Canadian Provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.

When Holly wasn’t driving, he loved watching movies, farming, horse riding, gardening, and attending numerous tractor and large truck pulls at county and state fairs where he could name every type of tractor, engine, and year it was made. 

He is survived by his loving partner, Marian Hoffman; best friend and fellow driver, David DuCharme; his mother, June L. (Rodgers) Little-Kern, of Lucas, Ohio; brothers, Terrance D. Little (Judy) of Port Charlotte, FL and Kevin N. Little (Olivia) of Arlington, VA; three daughters, Cheryl Branham (Ronnie), Chrystal Ingersoll (Robert), and Ceceile Kramer; grandchildren, Paul James Duncan, Kirstie Trimble, Amber Henline, Tyler Little, Blaine Branham, Cheyenne Trimble, Wyatt and Isaac Ingersoll, Chance Branham, Jake Kramer, Izabella Branham, and Tessa; several great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Along with his father, James Jay Little, he was preceded in death by his sister, Leiloni J. Baserman (Mark); and wife, Michelle (Mick) Munz.

Funeral services will begin at 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 17, 2023, at Werner-Gompf Funeral Services, ltd., 1106 Park Avenue East, Mansfield, OH. Visitation will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 p.m. prior to the funeral. Chaplain Mike Sweeney, of SouthernCare Hospice will officiate. Burial will follow in Mt. Zion Cemetery, Lucas, OH.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to SouthernCare Hospice, 9501 US Hwy 250N, Ste 2, Milan, OH 44846 or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741 (https://donate.cancer.org).

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