Edmund “Ted” Littell, 87, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, July 14, 2018, under the care of Hospice in Holland.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Tomlinson Littell; two sons, Todd Littell of Brookville, Fla., and Phil Littell of Holland; and two grandsons, Leland and Gabriel Littell of Grand Rapids.
Ted was born March 2, 1931, in Evanston, Ill., where he lived until moving to New Jersey in 1939. He spent the majority of his youth growing up in Mountain Lakes, N.J. and eventually attended the Millersburg Military Institute.
After graduating he joined the United States Marine Corps, attended Fairleigh Dickenson and Wabash College and then returned again to Mountain Lakes before leaving for a job opportunity in California. While on his journey West he stopped off to visit some friends of his family in Chicago where he met his bride, Mary Tomlinson, of 58 years. The newly married couple took up residence in Wilmette, Ill., a Chicago suburb.
It wasn’t too long before Ted was hired by Deluxe Check Printers and transferred to Plymouth. They enjoyed this friendly little town for a short period of time but Ted was offered another opportunity he could not refuse which was a position in New York City with The Wall Street Journal.
The decision was made and they were off to the East Coast for a new adventure. The Wall Street Journal opened up new opportunities of travel and places to live for the years ahead. They moved to Miami, and then a transfer to the London office in the United Kingdom.
Eventually the family settled back in the states and returned to Mountain Lakes. Ted was once again based in the New York office.
In 1979, Ted decided to leave the East Coast and relocate his family to Holland, as both he and Mary had spent summers in Leland and Saugatuck.
That same year, Ted started his own printing company (Plaza Printing), which he ran until he retired in 2002.
Ted was known by many as a hard-working, determined businessman who was very focused on building his company. He was a caring person with a good sense of humor and was always willing to help those in need. He loved his family and enjoyed spending time at home when he wasn’t working in his office.
He loved listening to his collection of classical music, enjoyed traveling, boating and spending time in Leland.
Ted often mentioned that he felt very fortunate to have had the experience of growing up in Mountain Lakes but in his latter years often reflected on how much he grew to love the beauty of the Michigan shoreline.
Ted will be sorely missed by his family and friends.
A funeral service will be Wednesday, July 25, at 4 p.m. at Dykstra Funeral Home, Northwood Chapel, 295 Douglas Ave., in Holland. A one-hour visitation will take place prior to the service starting at 3 p.m. For more information, please visit www.dykstrafuneralhome.com
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