Joan Little

Joan Little
Joan McCafferty Little, 78, died Monday of a stroke after a long battle with dementia at Covenant Oaks, the Memory Care Facility at Oakwood Retirement Village in Madison, Wis., where she had been cared for since April 2006.
Joan was a woman of boundless energy and great compassion. She lived life with generosity and joy. Her principal vocation was to be the best mother she could be to her five children, Deborah (and Bill) Cohn of Madison; Cynthia, who died in 1993; Alice (and Jean) Grevet of Paris, France; Dan (and Linda) Anderson-Little of St. Louis, Mo.; and Benjamin of Phoenix, Ariz. She had seven grandchildren, Nathaniel and Abbey Cohn; Catherine and Jeremy Grevet; and Daniel, Jacob and Leah Anderson-Little.
Joan, the only child of Ross and Frances McCafferty, was born July 5, 1929, in Butler, where she grew up among a multitude of McCafferty cousins and close to the family church.
She earned her bachelor's degree at Allegheny College in 1951 and a master's of religious education degree at McCormick Theological Seminary in 1953. That same year she married G. Daniel Little, also a student at McCormick Seminary. In 1981 she earned a master of social work degree from Fordham University.
In addition to being a homemaker, she worked as a church educator and pastoral counselor. Wherever her husband's work took them, she found ways to serve others, always with a spirit of hospitality. Joan's and Dan's life together took them to London, England; Pittsburgh; Ridgewood, N.J.; Ithaca, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Prairie Village, Kan.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Madison, Wis. In all of these places, her first commitment outside the home was to the Presbyterian Church (USA), in which she was also an ordained elder. From Ithaca on, she was an active participant in P.E.O.
Joan was a consummate people-person. An overarching theme of her life was an insistence that everyone be included, especially those most likely to be left out. At her table and in her home, she welcomed everyone, including unconventional guests. In her work as an educator, she focused attention on those with special needs. In her counseling practice, she devoted extra care to those who were most likely to be missed.
Joan had a special love of drama-in-worship, houseplants, health food and tap-dancing.
LITTLE - A memorial service for Joan McCafferty Little, who died Monday, Sept. 24, 2007, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, 326 S. Segoe Road, Madison, Wis., (608-233-6297). A reception will follow in the church narthex. There will be no prior visiting hours.
Burial will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the North Side Cemetery in Butler. A service will follow at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, 124 E. North St.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts, designated to help people with special needs, may be made to West Side Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood, NJ; First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, NY; McCormick Theological Seminary of Chicago; Village Presbyterian Church of Prairie Village, KS; Westminster Presbyterian Church of Minneapolis, MN; Covenant Presbyterian Church of Madison, WI; HospiceCare Foundation, Inc., of Madison, WI; Covenant Oaks Memory Care at Oakwood Retirement Village of Madison, WI.
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service, Madison, Wis., is handling arrangements.