Mike Little, the director of Hall County Parks & Community Services, passed away Saturday at the age of 58.
A press release from Hall County Government said Little was hired as the facilities manager at Allen Creek Soccer Complex in 2001 and was named director of Hall County Parks & Leisure Services about 10 years later. Little's title was changed in 2019 to director of Parks & Community Services.
"During his tenure, Little was instrumental in opening North Hall Park and Community Center and Cherokee Bluffs Park," the press release reads. "Under his leadership, Healan’s-Head’s Mill, an old gristmill predating the Civil War, was thoughtfully restored to its former glory."
Little was also involved with reopening Murrayville Park and was working to refurbish and reopen Tadmore Park. Both parks were closed during the economic recession in 2011. Little was working to construct Butler Park in Hall County's District 4 at the time of his death.
“Mike most certainly had a hand in not only shaping the overall quality of life for those in Hall County, but he also made a personal difference in thousands of lives through his daily interactions with others and through his legacy as a coach,” said Hall County Administrator Jock Connell. “We are grateful for his leadership, and we are undoubtedly better off as a County because of his passion for the parks department.”
The North Hall Community and Technology Center will be closed for general operations beginning Friday, July 1, at 2 p.m. and will remain closed Saturday, July 2, as respects are paid to Little.
A visitation for friends and family will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday in the community room of the North Hall Community and Technology Center. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday in the same room.
Little's obituary from Memorial Park Funeral Home said he was born on July 7, 1963, in Miami, FL. Little attended Campell University in Buies Creek, NC, on a soccer scholarship. Mike moved to Manasseh, VA, for several years before returning to North Carolina to work at the Oxford Orphanage/Masonic Home for Children, where he served as athletic director.
Little was a member of the Georgia Parks and Recreation Association and was a long-time member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Little leaves behind his wife, Amy, and two children, Ian and Alyssa. Little's full obituary can be viewed here.
