Beloved Industry Veteran Rick Littrell Has Passed Away

Thursday, July 27, 2023

By WhatTheyThink

Karl Richard Littrell, 70, of Shepherdsville, KY passed away on Thursday, July 26, 2023 at home with his loved ones after a long-fought battle against cancer.

“Rick” was born on December 4, 1952 in Evanston, Illinois.

He graduated from Oldham County High School in 1970 and joined the United States Air Force in 1971 as a Missile Analyst Specialist.

He served in the Vietnam War from 1971-1974 and was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1977.

Rick graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communications from Eastern Kentucky University with High Distinction as a Rhodes Scholar in 1977 and received a Master of Science degree in Graphic Communications Technology from Arizona State University in 1982.

Rick had a thriving career in Digital Marketing and Graphic Design with an emphasis on and a passion for leading-edge technology.

He was a long-standing member of the American Marketing Association in Boston, MA.

In his later years, he focused his efforts on real estate and was a member of the KREIA Kentuckiana Real Estate Investors Association.

Rick married his beloved wife, Janice Schornberg-Littrell, in 1982 and they had two sons, Kyle Ryan Littrell and Kody Dean Littrell.

In 1990, he and family moved to the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts for work, where they spent 24 years and made many life-long friends before moving back home to KY to be close to family.

Rick is described by friends as being “larger than life”.

He is as known for his fun-loving personality and big heart as he is for his career accomplishments.

Rick never met a stranger and all those who met him, loved him.

He will be dearly missed by his friends and family.

Rick is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Sally Littrell, and son, Kody Dean Littrell.

He is survived by his wife, Janice Littrell, son Kyle Littrell, daughter-in-law Kim Littrell, grandchildren Knox and Khloe Littrell, sister, Carol Stokes, brother, JD Littrell (Cathy), many nieces and nephews, and countless other family and friends who loved him.

A celebration of Life……..

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Rick’s name to the Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville, KY.

https://www.waysidechristianmission.org/donate

Discussion

By David L. Zwang on Jul 27, 2023

Rick was colleague, friend, and just a really good person. I first met Rick in the mid 80's when we were a part of a Scitex beta group testing 'desktop' design and production software (Visionary). Interestingly, he too was a visionary. Fast forward to 2010, when he saw the value and potential of Social Media and its relationship with print. I joined him along with a few others on the board of directors of his fledgling company Magicomm, to execute on that vision. He was a genuinely sweet guy, and even with the difficulties that life throws at you, would always retain his warm character and sense of humor. He will be missed..

By Stan Najmr on Jul 27, 2023

Very sad news! Rick was a gentleman, friend and visionary, who drove R&D departments in the right direction. He was always miles ahead of us. His ideas were excellent, their implementation was a real challenge. He will be missed!

By Richard Deroo on Jul 31, 2023

So sad indeed. I first met Rick when he was working at Agfa. I then had the pleasure to work with him at Polaroid Graphics Imaging. He was larger than life! Such a great guy, fun to be with and always so positive. Rest in peace Rick.

By Alan Darling on Jul 31, 2023

Losing a real friend pisses you off, but losing a friend and a huge character like Rick evokes vocabulary that would be banned from this site. I dread to think how long I have known Rick, but we kind of drifted apart recently. I love the man and send my heartfelt condolences to his family. The world will be a much poorer place without him.