John H. Littlefield ’49

John H. Littlefield ’49 died on December 18, 2018 in Sacramento, California. 

(The following was provided by a family member)

Born February 20, 1927, John H. Littlefield passed on December 14, 2018, just 67 days short of his ninety-second birthday.

Born to Harold Grant Littlefield and Elinor Littlefield (Scribner), John and his younger brother William were raised in Topsham, Maine. John graduated from Brunswick High School and went on to Bowdoin College, as his father did before him, graduating in 1926. After his first semester at Bowdoin, John decided to put his education on hold and enlist in the Army. He completed his boot camp training at Fort McClellan (Alabama) and in 1946 received orders to be stationed in Yokohama, Japan.

After returning to the US in 1948, John went home to Maine and returned to Bowdoin College. He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity and was in ROTC. John graduated from Bowdoin as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1951. He continued his military training at Fort Eustis (Virginia) in the US Army Transportation Corp. and served in South Korea and Germany. In Germany, John met and married his wife, Madeline.

From Germany, John & Madeline moved to Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was a ROTC military science professor at Lafayette College. While in Easton, he attended Lehigh University in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and earned a master’s degree in English literature. After completing his tour at Lafayette, John was sent to Vietnam from September of 1968 to September of 1969. Having spent just under twenty-five years in the military, John retired from the Army as a lt. colonel in December of 1969.

Early in 1970, John joined the civilian work force for the State of California and retired in 1990. John was a proud father of Jody, Susan, Andrina, Morgan and John; grandfather of Jennifer, John, Kathryn and Lara; and great-grandfather to Jimmy, Josie, Carly and soon to be born, Walker. John is also survived by his brother, William (Jane), and their children, Harold, Scott, Christopher, and Kim Su.

John was a man of many interests and talents. He loved to read and spend time in his garden. In retirement John participated in the UC Davis Master Gardener program and went on to write gardening articles for local neighborhood newspapers and participate in a local gardening radio show. John also dabbled in wood carving and painting and was a history buff who loved collecting antique coins, civil war artifacts, and antique firearms.

John loved to write, and his favorite writing was poetry for his family on their birthdays. He called them rhymes and wrote them until just a year or two before his passing.

When he wasn’t reading the latest history novel, John was transported and captivated within his many favorite Operas… “I do not think I am, I am”…(Madamme Butterfly)

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