Blanche Lucille Little

Blanche Lucille (Evans) Little was born on October 24, 1946 to Emmet and Zula Evans in Columbus, Ohio. She was the youngest of their three children, and affectionately known as the “baby” of the family. Blanche spent her early years in the historic Poindexter Village before her family moved to Harvard Avenue, where she met her lifelong best friends. She attended Pilgrim Elementary, Champion Junior High, East High School and graduated from Central High School. As a young girl, her family participated in Jack and Jill of America organization. As a teenager, Blanche became a member of the Chi Omega Phi, a high school sorority with a mission of socializing and having fun with such events as dances at The Hamilton House and pajama parties. And of course, anyone who knows Blanche knows she loved dancing and a good party! Speaking of parties, after years of having mutual friends and a secret crush, there was one party in particular, where she captured the attention of Robert Little, a handsome young man who would become her future husband. Blanche and Robert were married on August 21, 1965 and were married for 55 years. They were blessed with four children: Camille, Linda, Robert, and Chad. In addition to taking care of her family, Blanche also participated in other activities. While in her early 20s, she became a member of Top Notcher’s Inc., a civic and social club in which her dear sister, Jeanne was already a member. She held various leadership roles within the organization, including president. The club was very involved in volunteer work at Children’s Hospital, particularly with the Sickle Cell unit. They raised funds by having an annual dinner-dance, which meant two of her favorite things; shopping for a new dress and lots of dancing. Blanche became a lifelong member, where she had the love and support of her Top Notcher sisters until the very end. Blanche loved her family and was a very devoted mother. She spent many years as a stay-at-home mom caring for her children, as well as her nieces and nephews. Prior to that time, she worked her first job at Ohio Bell. Once her children were a little older, she began a 26-year career as a Window Service Technician at the U.S. Postal Service. Many people remember her friendly face and beautiful smile at the Bexley Branch, where she worked for most of her career and received several customer service awards. She spent her final working years at the University Branch, where she retired in 2006. One of Blanche’s greatest joys in life was being a grandmother. She had 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She was a very supportive grandmother and enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s’ school and sporting events. She especially loved Christmas and would spend hours shopping for gifts for her grandchildren. Blanche loved shopping period, especially when it was time to shop for a prom, a cotillion, or a wedding dress. She also loved having the grandchildren at their house for sleepovers, where they could always count on Rubino’s pizza, chocolate chip cookies and grandma’s waffles in the morning. Of course, she reminded her children that pickup time was at noon! Blanche passed peacefully in her home on Friday, February 19th after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. She was tenderly cared for by her devoted husband. She is preceded in death by her parents, Emmet and Zula Evans and brother Emmet Evans, Jr. She is survived by husband, Robert Thomas Little; sister Barbara (Romie) Watkins; special sister-in-law Linda Waddell; daughters Camille Thompson and Linda (David) Key; sons Chad and Robert; grandchildren Ashley (Brandon), Noah, Robbie, Corey, Nina, Nala, Alexis, Ezekiel, and Elias; great-grandchildren Aubrey, Luke and Liam; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and special lifelong friends Jodella Doneghy and Phyllis (Curtis) Mathews.