Marriott Procter Little

Marriott, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Ivan Marriott Procter, was born in Raleigh on May 12, 1929. Marriott’s mother, Madeline Jones Procter from Bethlehem, PA, was the personal assistant to the founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, and worked and traveled with Ms. Jarvis to lobby for the national day to honor mothers. Her father, Dr. Procter was the first physician in N.C. to limit his practice solely to Obstetrics and Gynecology and delivered Marriott on Mother’s Day.

Marriott attended Ravenscroft School in Raleigh and then attended St. Agnes School in Alexandria, V.A., where she completed high school in 1947. She attended Smith College for one year before transferring to Duke University. Marriott received a B.A. degree in Art History in 1951, from Duke. Her childhood was spent as a member of Edenton Street Methodist Church, and in 1954 she joined Christ Episcopal Church.

Marriott was predeceased by her husband, William (Bill) Bennett Little, Jr. of Wadesboro, N.C. She met Bill, a cousin of her sister’s husband, George F. Bason, at their home in 1953, and they were married the following year, on February 19, 1954. She was a loving and devoted wife, and they enjoyed many adventures and common interests including sailing in Oriental, tennis, travel and painting.

Marriott was a well-known and respected artist in Raleigh and throughout N.C. Her interest in art developed early when she began taking art lessons at Ravenscroft in the fourth grade. She continued art lessons at St. Agnes School and frequented art museums in Washington, DC, where she became familiar with masters of painting and sculpture. Marriott pursued her interest more seriously after her children were in school, studying with notable artists like Charles Reid, Joe Cox, Dong Kingman and Wolf Kahn, and competed in juried shows throughout the region.

Beginning in 1976, Marriott’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions, select private collections and collected by corporations such as BellSouth, Duke Medical Center, SAS Institute, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett-Packard Company, Bank of America and The State of North Carolina. She has won numerous awards and honors for her artwork. In 2018, Marriott was inducted into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame at Ravenscroft School.

Marriott saw everything as art. She paid attention to scenes to draw and paint around Raleigh and during her travels in the US and abroad. She successfully painted in every medium and genre. She especially loved being in nature, walking every day, and seeing the unique shapes and colors of trees, clouds and flowers. One of her favorite series consisted of abstract landscapes she called ‘Fair View’, inspired by the beauty of the landscape she discovered in her own backyard after Hurricane Fran in 1996.

Marriott’s service, professional and charitable affiliations as well as leadership roles through memberships included the Jr. League of Raleigh, Colonial Dames of Wake County, Artspace, Inc., Artspace Artists Association (past president), Raleigh Fine Arts Society, N.C. Art Society, Wake Artists Guild, Wake Visual Arts Association, and the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. She was honored with the Julia Daniels Lifetime Achievement award from the Junior League of Raleigh in 2023.

Marriott maintained her studio at ArtSpace for twenty years from 1990 until 2011 and continued to paint until she was 95. She attended monthly critiques in her home studio until her passing.

Over the years and until her passing, Marriott made many friends of all ages and walks of life. Her family and friends saw her as a light in their lives, as she showed acceptance and love to all. She genuinely connected with people and mentored other artists through her Artspace studio. Many have expressed that she was like a mother or grandmother to them. All of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and extended family felt equally loved by her. She found joy in the simple things. A creative spirit, open heart and mind, and a childlike enthusiasm defined her life. She adored her family and was a blessing to us.

In addition to her husband, Marriott is predeceased by her beloved parents, her brother, Jarvis Reginald Procter, and her sisters, Doris Procter Bason and Nancy Procter Langley.

She is survived by her children, Marriott Little Sheldon of Wendell, Corneille Harris Little of Raleigh, Elizabeth Little Barnes and husband Jeffrey of Raleigh, and William Bennett Little, III and wife Susan Haynes of Wendell; her grandchildren, Kimberly Lin Mallard, Stanford Lane Mallard, Courtney Yeates Sheldon and wife Lindsay, William Procter Sheldon, James Little Sheldon and wife Micaela McPadden, Madeline Sears Meersman and husband Nathan, Rebecca Little Barnes and husband Jacob and her great grandchildren, Dylan, Leyla, Zara, Bennett and Isobel. She is also survived by many beloved nephews and nieces.

Her family would like to recognize her cherished in-home caregivers as well as the outstanding care and support from the entire staff at Springmoor Retirement Community who greatly improved Marriott’s quality of life for the last six months. We are so grateful for their devotion and love to our mother.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Church at 2:00 pm on Friday, October 23rd, followed by a reception at the Carolina Country Club. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle Raleigh, NC 27607 or to the Springmoor Endowment Fund, 1500 Sawmill Rd. Raleigh, NC 27615.

Services provided by Brown Wynne, 300 Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh, NC.