Harry Littlefield Jr.

Harry Littlefield, Jr., loving family man and respected former President and General Manager of Branick Manufacturing Company in Fargo, ND, died on Sunday, February 26, 2006. He was 84. Harry died a few days after being admitted to Merit Care Hospital in Fargo, from the effects of congestive heart failure and complications from dementia. He and his wife of 60 years, LeVoyne, had recently moved to Linden Tree Circle at Eventide in Moorhead, MN. Harry was born on September 26, 1921, in Clarion, Iowa, the third child of Harry and Georgia Cook Littlefield. In 1926 the family moved to Georgetown, MN, farming in the Ulen and Hitterdal areas. After graduating from Borup High School, Harry enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in November 1940. Harry served in the 83rd service group during the air offensive In Europe and Normandy campaigns. He was honorably discharged in May 1945 with the rank of Staff Sergeant. On furlough he married LeVoyne Berg on April 22, 1945, in Lake Park, MN. After the birth of their daughter, Viki, the young family moved to Mission, TX, in 1946, returning to Moorhead in 1947 because of his father's illness. In 1952 their son, Robert, was born. In the early 1950s Harry attended Dakota Business College in Fargo and came to the attention of F. Leland Watkins, who was President. In 1954 Watkins recommended Harry to E.E. "Earl" Branick, describing him as having "great possibilities. He has an attractive personality, the desire to get ahead and, best of all, enthusiasm . . . and anxious to know 'why' as well as 'what.'" Branick had founded a manufacturing company for tire handling equipment in Fargo 30 years before and had asked Watkins to recommend "a man with management potential, capable of carrying on 'when I'm gone.'"In 1956 Harry left his position at Branick and LeVoyne her position with the Moorhead Public Schools, and they moved to Salem, Oregon. Earl Branick, however, maintained contact with Harry and encouraged him to return to his company, writing in 1958, "You would round out a completed organization." Harry returned in February 1959, becoming Branick's Credit Manager in 1960 and Vice President in 1967. When Branick sold the company to Applied Power, Inc., of Milwaukee, WI, in November 1968, Harry was given the title of Sales & Service Administrative Manager. In 1976 he became Vice President and General Manager. Harry traveled widely in his position and was active in the National Tire Dealers and Retreader Association, serving as Chairman of the Supplier Group in 1977-78. In 1979 Harry led a group of four investors who purchased the company, keeping it in Fargo. Harry was the majority stockholder and President and General Manager, putting in place a new sales distribution system and greatly expanding international sales. When it was announced that Harry was the new President, associates throughout the industry wrote to congratulate him, one saying, "This proves that nice guys do finish first." In 1983 when Harry received the AMF Industry Recognition Award, it was said that he "has maintained the high quality and industry support which have always been associated with the Branick name." In November 1983 he sold his interest in the company, continuing for five years as Chairman of the Board and as a consultant.For the next 20 years Harry and LeVoyne, who had retired after 30 years with the Moorhead Public Schools, led active retirement lives. They enjoyed their lake home on Big Cormorant Lake and returned to the Rio Grande Valley each winter. In 1984 they participated in the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. They frequently visited Viki, supporting the history museums she directed in upstate New York, Boston, and, most recently, in Philadelphia. They have been loyal sponsors and participants in Robert's professional activities as a professor in the Communication Department and administrator at North Dakota State University. For their grandchildren, Lindsay and Brady, they have provided love, encouragement, and support. Their pride knows no bounds. Lindsay will graduate from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Texas in Austin; Brady is a junior at Boston College.In 1956 Harry became a member of the Moorhead Masonic Lodge No. 126 and later a member of the El Zagal Shrine. He was a 60-year continuous member of American Legion Post 181 in Lake Park, MN. The Littlefield family have been congregants at Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo for nearly 50 years. Harry and LeVoyne created an endowed forensic scholarship in the Communication Department at NDSU.Harry leaves his wife, LeVoyne; children, Viki Roberta Bernstein Sand and Robert Kathy; and grandchildren, Lindsay Thomas Allen and Brady. In addition, he is survived by his brother Don Martha Littlefield and sisters Shirlenne Upton and Sharon LeRoy Peterman; in-laws Beatrice Littlefield, Delories Berg, Bernice Schulstad Roland Olson, Donald Marion Berg, and Delaine Sheldon Struble; and 27 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Evelyn Brantner, and two brothers, Kendall and Robert.In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Elim Lutheran Church Foundation, 321 North 9th Street, Fargo, ND, 58102.