William Edward Littler III, 68, of Adair, IA, passed away Saturday, March 2, at his home in Adair, surrounded by family.
Bill was born May 29, 1955, in Greenfield, the son of W. E. Littler Jr. and Joanne Johnson Littler. He graduated from Adair-Casey High School in 1973.
Bill started work for his parents at The Adair News at a young age and became a full-time employee at the newspaper in 1973, learning the Linotype and hand-fed presses. He continued working until his death. Bill spent a lot of time behind a camera at school and community events but especially liked to photograph his kids and grandkids.
On June 1, 1974, he married Connie Jo Carritt at Trinity Lutheran Church in Manilla. This union was blessed with four children: William Edward IV, Ella Maria, Andrew Joseph, and Benjamin Thomas. Bill and Connie would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June this year.
In 1991, Bill and Connie purchased The Adair News from his parents. The paper has been in the family since 1937. He served as publisher of the paper from 1991 until his death and enjoyed writing his ‘It Seems to Me’ column.
Littler was active in the community. He was a member and past president of the Adair Chamber of Commerce; a member of RIADA, Inc.; member of the Iowa Newspaper Association; member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; member and past president of the Southwest Iowa EMS Association; and past president of Adair County Fire and EMS.
He was named Adair’s Citizen of the Year in 1988 and again in 2005. In 2022, Bill and Connie were named ‘Master Editor-Publisher’ by the Iowa Newspaper Association.
He served his community for 35 years as a member of Adair Fire & Rescue, joining the department in 1979 and retiring in 2014, and held various positions during those 35 years. He became an EMT in 1980 and took on the role of Ambulance Captain for more than 30 years. He received his EMT-I certification in 1992 and his Paramedic certification in 2005. To his closest EMS friends, he was referred to as ‘Doc’.
Survivors include his loving wife Connie; children, Bill (Amy) Littler, Andy (Suzi) Littler and Ben Littler; grandchildren, Bryce (Chelsea) Littler, Brock Littler (Cloe Hoyt), Becca Littler, Madden Littler, and Caden Littler; sisters, Mary Beth (Kevin) Petty and Diane Littler; brother-in-law, Ray (Mary) Carritt; sister-in-law, Caroline Carritt (Dave Reinke); father and mother-in-law, Gordan and Lillian Carritt; and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his unborn daughter, Ella.
Public visitation with family will be held on Friday, March 8, 2024, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Adair Fire Hall in Adair.
The Funeral service will be at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, March 9, 2024, at the Adair Fire Hall in Adair, with Pastor Kyle Fever officiating the service. A luncheon will be held following the funeral service also held at the Adair Fire Hall. A private interment will be held at Sunnyhill Cemetery in Adair.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Adair Fire & EMS for EMS education, The Adair Public Library, or the Boys & Girls Club in Adair, in memory of Bill. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.
The Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Adair is handling the arrangements for the Littler Family.
