Beldon Napoleon Little

Beldon Napoleon Little 1924-2012 Beldon "Buddy" N. Little, 87, returned Home to the Lord on January 5, 2012. His improbable journey began on September 11, 1924 in Fort Payne, Alabama. A true child of adventure, he spent much of his childhood doing things that would make even Huckleberry Finn blush. The man of his house at just 14, Beldon took care of his three sisters and mother until joining the Navy in 1941. Just three years later, he began his 66 year marriage to the love of his life, the late Hazel Rawls Little. After serving in World War II and the Korean War, and earning the Navy Occupation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, 2 Bronze Stars and the American Theatre Campaign Medal, Beldon began a flourishing career as a Salvage Master -- where he raised 99 ships from the ocean floor. One of his greatest achievements was the salvage of the sunken oil tanker - The African Queen, which earned him a citation from the Governor of Virginia and a ticker-tape parade through the City of downtown Norfolk. He was known for his ingenuity and tenacity for getting the job done. Two books, "The Raising of the Queen" and "Just a Sailor" spoke of his ability to accomplish the unimaginable and seemingly impossible. Beldon also moved more than 300 homes, owned and operated Coastal Salvage & Equipment Corporation, took out "The Old Bay Line" in Norfolk, and even demolished several asbestos-laden power plants before suffering a major heart attack in 1973. During this event, his heart stopped beating 7 times in 22 minutes. But Beldon survived -- and lived to tell all who would hear his testimony about meeting his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, during the incident. Despite losing the majority of his heart muscle, Beldon soldiered on with a faithful grin for more than 38 years. Beldon is now reunited with his Beloved Hazel, his sisters Emma Clyde and Helen, and his parents Clyde and Addie. Surviving Beldon are his daughters, Lorraine Bisese and her husband Butch, and Beverly Turner; his grandchildren, Joseph "Tony" Bisese and Franklin "Buddy" Turner, and his wife, Mari; his sister Addie Butler and her husband, Henry; and many nieces and nephews. Beldon was the rarest of gifts from God -- uncommon in his love for life and his will to live, unique in his passion for right over wrong, and interestingly outspoken in all things. He once said that the most important word he knew was "love" -- and that is perhaps the most fitting description of his soul. As Heaven gains this gritty Southern storyteller with a worldly charm, Beldon's family looks forward to the day when they can again feel the comfort of his voice, seek the wisdom of his perspective, and revel in the indescribable beauty of his persona. The family would like to thank the staff of Harbour-Pointe Rehabilitation Facility, Second Floor, for the good care and compassion, as well as Odyssey Hospice. The family will gather at Loving Funeral Home, Churchland, on Sunday, January 8, 2012 from 3:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, January 9, 2012 at Pinecrest Baptist Church, Portsmouth, with family friend and long-time pastor, Rev. Tom Potter officiating. Interment will be in Aulander Cemetery, Aulander, North Carolina, following the funeral. On-line condolences may be made at www.lovingfuneralhome.com and memorial contributions can be made in his honor to The American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Alzheimer's Association.