F. Roger Little

Our wonderful father, F. Roger Little, departed this life on Saturday, March 15, 2025, with his children at his side. Roger was born at home in South Denver on July 11, 1932, to parents A.J. and Mable S. Little. The family moved to Leadville, Colorado, in 1944, then returned to Denver for a short time before moving to Fruita, Colorado, in April 1946. Roger loved living in Fruita and was a proud 1950 graduate of Fruita Union High School.

Roger attended Mesa Junior College from 1950–1952, then obtained a B.A. degree at Colorado State College of Education in Greeley in May of 1954. Following graduation, Dad hustled back to Fruita to marry the love of his life, LuAnn McCormick, on June 20, 1954. They were happily married for 59 years before she passed away in 2013. To this union, three children were born: Leslie in 1955, Mitchel in 1957, and Jami in 1971. In addition to his wife and parents, Roger is predeceased by his youngest daughter, Jami, and his older brother, A. John Jr. Survivors include his oldest daughter, Leslie Bean (Bill) of Whitewater, Colorado; his son, Mitchel (Kelly) of Windsor, Colorado; and younger sister, Virginia Little Paul of Buffalo, New York.

Roger and LuAnn moved to Craig, Colorado, in the summer of 1954, where Dad began his teaching career. This was briefly interrupted when he was called to serve in the United States Army as a medical corpsman at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, from 1955 through 1957. He served as a medic for the U.S. Army pentathlon team during that time.

Dad spent his entire professional career as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Moffat County School system in Craig. He began by teaching and coaching kids in the 8th grade, several of whom have remained good friends to this day. He became a secondary school principal in 1966 and skillfully guided many faculty and students until his retirement in 1989. So many of those students were still communicating with Dad up until his final days. During his career, Roger was very active in the Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals. He served as President of the Association in 1983–1984. Roger earned two post-graduate degrees from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, graduating with a master’s degree in the summer of 1960 and an EDS degree in the summer of 1970.

Following retirement, Roger and LuAnn returned to Grand Junction, where Dad became a Broker Associate with Bray and Company Real Estate. Roger said many times, “I wish everyone could have what I have had, a wonderful family and two professions where I couldn’t wait to get to work each and every day.” He was devoted to his family and instilled a strong work ethic through example. Dad retired from Bray in April 2003.

Among his many interests, Roger enjoyed flying and earned private and commercial pilot licenses. He served as a member of the Craig/Moffat Airport Commission and served two four-year terms as a member of the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority, ending his service on the board in May 2011. He served as chairman of the Authority Board during 2006. We will always remember sitting at the end of the runway at the old Stapleton Airport in Denver, watching planes arriving and departing—great, inexpensive entertainment—followed by dinner at the Denver Drumstick! Another of Dad’s great joys was repairing and restoring automobiles. He completely restored three Chevrolet Corvair vehicles and was constantly working on and improving his ’57 forward-control Jeep pickup.

After retirement, Roger and LuAnn enjoyed many travels together. They were able to go on a Mediterranean cruise in 2006 and an extended Alaska cruise in 2007. Other travels included a road trip with Leslie, visiting Civil War sites beginning in Atlanta and ending in Maryland, and visits to Washington, D.C.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Key West, Florida; and the San Juan Islands. Their favorite trip was to Israel in May 2008, traveling with Dad’s cousin, Bill, and his wife, Connie Little. One of the couple’s greatest joys were many houseboat excursions to Lake Powell with friends.

In addition to spending cherished time with his family, Dad loved to hunt and fish. His favorite outdoor activity was float fishing the Yampa and Green rivers in northwest Colorado with Mitchel and many mutual friends. Dad loved nature and the outdoors. He also had a significant interest in politics and was adamantly pro-life. In addition, Roger had great empathy for neglected/abused children. He was a Christian and loved the Lord, his country, and his family.

Roger’s family always had cats, and, through his tough exterior, he had a soft spot for cats. His last kitty, Cougar, survives Dad and is living comfortably with another loving family. Dad would be pleased if donations were directed to any local cat shelters (Loma Cat House, Claws, Grand Rivers Humane Society, etc.). Due to his interest in children and saving the unborn, donations can also be made to Mesa County Right to Life, PO Box 96, Loma, CO 81524. Alternately, please consider donating to the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig, CO. Dad was a great supporter of everything Moffat County, and a donation to the museum will help them continue their great work of preserving the legacy of Northwest Colorado.

Services and a celebration of a great life lived will be held Friday, April 25th, at the First Presbyterian Church, 3940 27 ½ Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81506. The service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Those that attend are invited to bring and share memories of Roger.