Kenneth Junior Littell

Ken Littell, aka "Mr. L" and "Wheelo", passed away at the tender age of 100 on September 8, 2022. Ken was born on a kitchen table in Grenola, Kansas on April 6, 1922, and was raised in southern Indiana. After enlisting in the Navy at the beginning of World War II and attending basic training in Illinois, he found himself in Colorado Springs, where he met the love of his life and his future wife, Mary Desmond, at a roller rink in Manitou Springs. They knew each other for a mere two weeks before they became engaged, and without her parents' consent, they eloped in 1943 before he headed off to war. Their love story lasted until Mary's untimely death in 1989. After returning from the war, three children were born to this blessed union, Jim (Kaylene), Janice (Dave), and Barbi (Dave). Ken's job as inside sales manager for a steel company brought the family to Albuquerque in 1959, and they never looked back. Ken was a surrogate father to hundreds of children as the director of the Little Wheels, a unicycle group that performed all over the Southwest for 30+ years at hospitals, orphanages, and anywhere there were disadvantaged, underserved populations. He was a clown and magician with the Elks Clown Unit, and the unicycle group + clown group was a wonderful marriage. Ken could be seen any night of the week in his living room adding spokes to a rim for a new unicycle, or in the garage, building a new magic act. Ken was a dedicated member of the Elks and served as Exalted Ruler at the Albuquerque BPOE Lodge #461 for the years 1977-1978, where he is fondly remembered by the employees as a supportive and caring soul. Ken and Mary were competitive roller skaters as well as ballroom dancers, who loved spending the weekends on the dance floor at the Elks with their dear friends. An excellent athlete, Ken played tennis, bowled, and was president of the Arroyo del Oso Men's Golf Association in the 1960s, where he proudly had two holes-in-one while maintaining a very low handicap throughout his adult life. In addition to his three children, Ken leaves behind seven much-loved grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. The family would like to acknowledge Senior Care, LLC and High Desert Hospice for their tender care during his last years, and his long-time companion Vance for her love and care. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Elks National Foundation Scholarship Program, East Central Ministries, or the charity of your choice. A service will take place at 12:30pm at FRENCH-Wyoming on September 23, 2022 with visitation at 11:30am and reception to follow at 1:15pm.