Elsie Louise Little

My mom, Elsie was the third of four children born to Ervin and Laura Langley on February 23,1931 in Ransom Kansas. Grandpa was a farm worker and the whole family was caught up in the great depression of 1929 and the drought and soil erosion of the 1930's. The infamous "Dust Bowl" caused the family to migrate to the wild west mining town of Mountain City, Nevada in 1936. Grandma's sister, Ester Wilson had a boarding house for the workers employed by the copper mine there. She let Grandma and Grandpa know that if they moved to Mountain City she would find work for them, which she did. Things got a lot better when the family moved to Mountain City.

The family moved to Bremerton in 1942 when mom was 11. The war was underway, and the shipyard was hiring workers by the thousands. Grandpa worked in the shipyard for a while and then started selling insurance with the business name Langley Insurance Agency in 1943. Elsie met Ben Little at a family gathering in 1948, where he, being a sailor, was invited for dinner. Mom graduated from Bremerton High in May 1949. They married on June 10, 1949. They rented small apartments near Evergreen Park and Westpark.

In 1952 Dad and Mom purchased their first house on Eighth Street in Bremerton just three blocks from Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt June and Uncle Mike Malkowski. They became the proud parents of Bill, born in February 1951 and Levi born in July 1952. Mom got a job working at the telephone company switchboard and then at the Woolworth store in downtown Bremerton. Dad was working days in the shipyard as a pipefitter in shop 07. Between the two work schedules they did a good job of caring for us kids. Their first car was a 1939 Plymouth coupe. In 1950 they took a trip to Texas to meet Ben’s family. Later they bought a 1950 Chevy. Every four years Dad would load us in the car for an extended vacation to Texas and Kansas to see relatives and friends. The first two trips were in that Chevy, in July, with “4/50” air conditioning. Mom was always a good sport during the long drives with minimal stops. Mom and dad both worked very hard and were determined to build a good life for us children and give us all the good things in life and opportunities that they never had.

In the late 1950's grandpa's business, Langley Insurance Agency, was growing and he needed help. Mom and Aunt June went to work for grandpa. June became an insurance and real estate agent, and mom took care of accounting and office management. In the early 1970's grandpa sold his business to R.S. Hayward Insurance and both mom and June went along with the business. At about the same time the family moved near the Kitsap Fairgrounds where they lived until Dad retired and they decided to move to Texas to live near his side of the family.

The first year they lived with Grandma Little in San Antonio and then rented an apartment in Lampasas Texas until they had their dream home built on 10 acres of land just outside of town. They lived there until Dad started to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Taking care of dad was a full-time job for mom and she did an excellent job. Eventually, she decided that she needed help, so they moved back to Bremerton in 1996. After dad moved into Martha and Mary in 1999 mom visited him, almost daily. Dad passed away on January 29, 2008. Later mom met George Gott, and they became fast friends. George passed away in June 2016. Since, mom lived well on her own. Bill moved to California in 2008 and back to Bremerton in 2017, spending much of his time visiting mom. Mom liked to knit, crochet, embroidery, and bake. She was good at them too, making lots of special things including blankets and pillowcases and especially wedding cakes, the largest feeding over 500 people. Later she really enjoyed working on puzzles.

From the time that dad passed mom especially enjoyed having her monthly breakfast or lunch with friends she met at Hayward’s and Martha and Mary. In 1997 she suffered level 4 kidney failure but only had to endure dialysis for a couple of months. In 2021 she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure yet lived life to the fullest. She and Bill took an Alaskan cruise in 2023, her last big adventure and one full of fun memories.

Elsie led a long and good life, full of cherished memories, family and close friendships. She is missed by all who knew her, but she leaves us all a legacy of love.

Elsie’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Bremerton United Methodist Church, 1150 Marine Drive Bremerton, on January 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.