Alan Little was remembered Saturday as a gentle giant, a poet, an author, a voracious reader, an intellectual, a well-respected worker, and an animal-lover whose green thumb produced spectacular gardens.
But his most precious flower was the woman who greeted him at the door of their country home after he'd finished his shifts as a supervisor at Lakeland Mills. Little took his love for his wife, Jo Burrows, to work with him at the sawmill and all who knew him were aware what she meant to him.
"Al's love for Joanna and the selfless sharing of their time with all of us is truly a gift that we can all thank him for," said Megan Hunt, a former co-worker of Jo's at Carrier Sekani Family Services, in her funeral tribute to Little at Westwood Mennonite Brethren church.
"His relationship with his wife and the thoughtful things he would do for her was like a romance novel and we eagerly awaited each chapter."
Al found his magic with Jo. Now as a widow, she has been left to mourn the loss of her husband, an unimaginable grief shared by a city still in shock following Monday's explosion and fire at the Lakeland sawmill, a tragedy that took Little's life and that of mill worker Glenn Roche, and left 22 others injured.
"This community is grieving and in that grief there's been an outpouring of so much love and support for Al and his family," said friend Cappi Bowers. "Al was so proud to be part of this community and he would be especially honoured to have [Carrier Sekani] chief Dominic Frederick here to welcome him to their traditional territory."
Living on his own land with Jo and their dogs on an acreage south of the city, Little's passion for gardening was obvious to all who visited his home. Bowers told of his talent as a writer and a poet. His book, Wolf Dreams, was a reflection of his love for animals and the outdoors.
His ability to make lifelong friends was exemplified by the fact he'd been part of about a dozen wedding parties. Little was known as a private guy who never wanted to be the centre of attention, but sometimes that became unavoidable.
Len Whitehead of Salmon Arm told stories of his best friend's reluctant Born to Be Wild karaoke session and his heavy-footed lumberjack barroom ballet as he broke in his steel-toed work boots with his forest firefighting crew.
"Fitness was a big deal on the unit crew and he was bloody strong... six-foot-three, 235 pounds --with a 30-inch waist," joked Whitehead.
"If you needed help, he was the first guy there and he'd ask for nothing in return. He had an amazing way of connecting with people, he was just a good listener. He was a man of absolute unassailable integrity."
Little, 43, was born in McBride but spent the first few years of his life in Valemount as the youngest of four boys. He attended kindergarten in Quesnel, then moved to Prince George for his grade school years. His brother Jim told how Al didn't come home from his first day at school and was later found with a neighbour girl making plans to run away with her and get married. A gifted student who didn't have to study to do well on his exams, he made his brothers envious. He worked for six months at his first job as a bouncer at a Salmon Arm nightclub before he turned the legal age of 19.
Little was a 17-year employee at Lakeland, the last two years as as a manager. His dedication to his job and his reputation as a guardian and mentor to his co-workers were known throughout the company. He was the last man out of the mill as flames enveloped the building Monday night. He died early Tuesday morning at UHNBC.
"He was passionate about his work, about getting the job done well, and about getting the most out of his crew and his co-workers," said Greg Stewart, president of the family-owned Sinclar Group, the Lakeland owners. "That passion extended to his wife, his family and friends. Al spoke so fondly of his whole family. He loved being an uncle, but most of all he loved Jo.
"Al was a man of tremendous character. He was part of the Lakeland family and he will always be remembered."
Traditional native drummers and singers walked up the church aisle to open the service with a beautiful rendition of the Bear Clan song, and bagpiper Ian McInnis, a Lakeland co-worker, was on hand to deliver the soulful, A Dark Island.
Little leaves behind in his immediate family his wife Jo, mother Deanna (Salmon Arm), father John (Sydney), and brothers Andy (Campbell River), Steve (Vanderhoof), and Jim (Chilliwack).
