Paul F. Little

Obituary lovingly provided by the family.

October 26, 1930 – January 10, 2024

Paul F. Little, age 93, of Mansfield, GA passed away Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at his home at Prema at Ashton Hills Assisted Living in Covington, GA. Paul was the son of Willie and Gertrude Little and was raised on a sharecropper's farm in the Goldmine Community of Hart County Georgia during the Great Depression. He told stories of his hard upbringing, doing his chores using a one or two horse wagon, picking cotton, and plowing the fields with a mule. One of the proudest days farming was when his father finally got them a tractor to use. One day while he was in the fields, he looked up and saw an airplane overhead. He got off the tractor, went home and told his Momma that farming was not for him and he was joining the service.

Enlisting in the United States Air Force as a military police officer, got him out of the fields and sent to a war in a place he had not heard of “Korea”. After serving there for a year, he came home and met the love of his life, Hilda Frances Cordell. They were married and shared 66 years together until her death in 2018.

During his time in the Air Force his family was stationed in Maine, England, Texas, Scotland, and California, making friends at each stop along the way. He also served a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967-68. Upon his retirement from the Air Force, Paul returned to Elberton, GA, his wife’s hometown, and joined the Elberton Police Department. After several years there he joined the US Postal Service as a letter carrier, which lead him to be appointed as the Postmaster of the Mansfield, GA post office in which he served until his second retirement in 1998. He was a member of Mansfield Baptist Church and was also a 50-year Mason.

Along with his parents, Paul is preceded in death by his brothers Bud and Harold and his sister Mildred Pilgram.  He is survived by his children Terry (June), Rodney (Tammie), Debbie (Craig) and Tim (Gay); five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and his sister Hazel Dickerson.

A private service will be held at the Georgia Veterans Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia where he will be laid to rest beside his wife Hilda. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations can be made to the St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital or the Shriner's Hospital for Children, which were his favorite charities. 

The family would like to thank the people who cared for their dad over the years, Dr. Park, Dr. Jacoby, Dr. Rogers the staff at Prema at Ashton Hills and the nurses and staff at Southern Grace Hospice.

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