Obituary of Louise Little

1922-2012 She was born on the 26th of June, married on the 26th of January and died three days ago, on the 26th of November, knowing it was finally OK to let go. Louise Baker Little of Eugene was the only daughter of Alton F. Baker Sr., owner and publisher of The Register-Guard from 1927 to 1961, and Mildred Moody Baker. She was 90 when she died on Monday of age-related causes at Sheldon Park Assisted Living in Eugene. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, November 30, at the First Congregational Church, 1050 E. 23rd Ave. in Eugene, with a reception to follow. A public viewing will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday at Musgrove Family Mortuary, 1152 Olive St. She was born on June 26, 1922, in Cleveland. She was 5 years old in 1927 when her family moved to Eugene. She was the second-oldest of five siblings who grew up in the home at 1910 University St., now the Secret Garden Bed & Breakfast Inn. She graduated from Eugene's University High School in 1940 and attended the Erskine School in Boston. She married Ralph Brewer Little, her high school sweetheart and a Navy man from Eugene, on Jan. 26, 1944 in Berkeley, Calif. They lived in Portland briefly after the war, then returned to Eugene to raise two daughters and a son in Eugene's Ferry Street Bridge neighborhood. They owned and operated Little's Market, housed in the same historic building as Max's Tavern on East 13th Avenue, from 1956 to 1982. She was a homemaker but also taught typing and shorthand at Eugene Business College and was a secretary for two Eugene physicians. She taught Sunday school at the First Congregational Church, was a member of the P.E.O, Junior League, the Sacred Heart Hospital Guild and was a fundraiser for Community Chest, the precursor to United Way of Lane County. She was a shareholder and board member of Guard Publishing Company until her death. She told stories about traveling by train to New York as a young girl and enjoyed traveling later in life to Germany, Washington D.C., California, Hawaii and Alaska. Her favorite place to go, however, was always the Oregon Coast. She also enjoyed being a hostess to her extended family and friends. She is survived by her daughters, Carol L. Wehmeyer of Eugene and Milly L. Hallock of Corvallis; her son, R. Fletcher Little of Eugene; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and her four brothers, Alton F. Baker Jr., Edwin M. Baker, Dr. Herbert C. Baker and Richard A. Baker, all of Eugene. Her husband preceded her in death in 1993. She will be laid to rest at Rest-Haven Memorial Park in Eugene. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church in Eugene.