Robert Allan Little

Robert (Bob) Allan Little

Robert (Bob) Allan Little passed away at the age of 71 on April 6, 2024 in Sierra Vista, Arizona surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, and sisters following a brief battle with aggressive cancer. He was born to John and Ruth (Desautel) Little on March 26, 1953 in Concord, Massachusetts, the third of six children. The Little family lived in Nabnasset, Massachusetts for most of Bob’s childhood, but later settled in Hudson, New Hampshire where he graduated from Alvirne High School in 1971. Shortly after the family moved to Hudson, Bob’s younger sister, Donna, met Sandy Bird on the playground at school. Sandy and Donna became inseparable, and years later when Bob and Sandy fell in love, the family joked that Bob never had to take Sandy home to meet his family because she was already part of it.

Following high school, Bob attempted to join the Navy but due to an eye condition he was unable to continue boot camp and was honorably discharged. He then attended the University of Lowell, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering. After graduation from the University of Lowell, Bob worked as a civil servant for the U.S. Navy and for the U.S. Airforce in Satellite Communications.

Bob married the love of his life, Sandy, on April 28, 1979, and they welcomed two children, Robert in 1980 and Sarah in 1982. After leaving civil service with the Airforce, Bob continued his engineering career as a government contractor for GTE, which took him and his young family to Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville then brought new opportunities, first with a small company, Hub Systems, and finally with SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) where he worked as an electrical engineer for the rest of his career.

In 1990, his work with SAIC brought the family permanently to Sierra Vista, Arizona. During his career, he traveled around the world installing equipment, “fixing the unfixable,” and teaching technical courses to soldiers operating equipment that he helped design. He was a master teacher with a dry sense of humor. When students were stumped for an answer to a problem, he would encourage them to keep guessing, often teasing, “Come on guys, a monkey would get it right half the time.”

He also had a passion for teaching his children. Whether it was math tutoring with his giant white board, teaching them how to change the oil in the car, working on projects, or delving into history discussions. Bob loved being a teacher to Robert and Sarah. One of Robert’s and Sarah’s fondest memories is of Bob reading to them The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when they were kids, always stopping for the night at the most dramatic parts just to get them riled up.

Another of Bob’s greatest joys in life was spending time with his grandsons, Robert, Andrew, and Declan. He loved making projects with them and diving gleefully into their imaginative adventures as young children. Bob and Sandy enjoyed several cross-country road trips with Robert and Andrew over the years, visiting historical sites and amusement parks. He was best friends with Robert and Andrew and a great mentor to them, and spoiled them as any good Papa should. With his youngest grandson, Declan, he loved to wrestle, make up games, and play in the mud. Though he wasn’t able to spend as much time with Declan due to living far away, every visit was treasured and meaningful. He had the best time with all of his boys.

When Bob finally retired in 2018 after 33 years with SAIC, he found himself busier than ever with hobbies and projects. He enjoyed working on his cars, tending his garden, fixing old radios, and learning new skills such as welding and playing the guitar. He had a lifelong love of airplanes, having owned an Aero Commander Darter 100 monoplane for a few years in the 80’s, and built numerous model airplanes over the years. He was a voracious reader, a lifelong learner, and had a great love of classic 70’s rock music. Bob and Sandy loved to travel, touring the United States, visiting family and friends, and attending big family reunions. At the dinner table or any family event, Bob was an animated storyteller, often reliving moments of his childhood with hilarious wit, and keeping the memory of loved ones alive. Bob leaves an incredible legacy of love for family and commitment to the important things in life.

Bob is predeceased by his parents, brother John Edward Little, Jr., and sister Donna Marie (Jerry) Becker. He is survived by his soul mate, best friend, and wife of 45 years, Sandra Eva (Bird) Little; son Robert Allan (Bethany) Little II of Sierra Vista, Arizona; daughter Sarah Eva (Adam) Kehl of Pearl City, Hawaii; grandsons Robert A. Little III, Andrew J. Little, and Declan G. Kehl; sisters Gail (Greg) Crotto of Hereford, Arizona and Karen (Bryan) Baron of Ocala, Florida; brother Joseph Little of Roanoke, Virginia; 6 nephews, 7 nieces and countless friends and family who will miss him dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Desert Grace Church, 2300 Las Brisas Way, Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635 on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 2:00 PM. A reception will follow at Bob and Sandy’s house. Arrangements are by Hatfield Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s remembrance may be made to Smile Train, P.O. Box 96231, Washington DC 20090-6231 or on their website https://www.smiletrain.org/; Hillsdale College, 33 E. College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242 or on their website https://www.hillsdale.edu/support/ways-to-give/; or Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), 1875 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20006 or on their website https://pva.org/site/c.ajIRK9NJLcJ2E/b.6372829/k.9578/Ways_to_Give.htm.

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