Donald C. Middleton
June 19, 1926 ~ November 1, 2007
Greece: Thursday, November 1, 2007. Predeceased by his wife, Mary Jane Middleton. Survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Sue and Gregory Smith, Jane and Daniel Sullivan; his son and daughter-in-law, John and Kelly Middleton; his brother, David(Dee) Middleton; his grandchildren, Leisha Smith, Benjamin(Regina)Smith, Audrey and Lauren Middleton and Sarah Sullivan; great-grandchildren, Isaac and Samantha Smith; several nieces and nephews. Don was a Veteran of WWII and a polio survivor. He was a retiree of the Eastman Kodak Co. and in retirement worked for the Nursing Research Office of Rochester General Hospital until the time of his death.
Friends may call at Vay-Schleich & Meeson Funeral Home, 1075 Long Pond Road, Sunday 2-4. A Service of Rememberance will follow at 4:00. Interment Palmyra Cemetery at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers friends wishing may make contributions to Cystic Fibrosis Family Connection, PO Box 93328, Rochester, Ny 14692 in his memory.
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Although I have not worked with Don in several years, I remember what a kind, dedicated and truly pleasant man he was. Don was always a pleasure to work with and just a great person to be around. He was a rare and wonderful man, and I am very lucky to have known him.
I wish his family the best at dealing with his loss.
Dear Sue, Jane and John,
‘…I have you in my heart.’ Phil. 1:7 Oh the sweet memories I have of your dad. All those late nights, helping me try to ‘get’ math. What a patient, gentle man. May the Lord guide your steps and guard your hearts, in this season of loss. I send my love to each of you. Love, Ellen
Don was one of my heroes. He never complained about his loss of being able to play sports, or even walk to be able to without cruthes and pain. His Palmyra High classmate, my husband, Roger often talked about being on the H.S. football team. He was impressed with Don’s spirit then, as I am now. Don was a true gentleman. Barbara
Don, I will miss you so very much. Always on my mind and forever in my heart.
Don, I will miss you. It was a privilge to have work with you in the Nursing Research Dept. at Rochester General Hospital. The honor was bringing you coffee every morning and listening and sharing the western movies that both you and I loved so much, even though we had watched them a thousand times. The journey with you will always be treasured. I say to you my friend one last time, ‘good night ‘John Boy,’ I love you!
Jacque Beales
I am so sorry for your loss. What a great picture – Don’s smiling eyes are a joy to see. I only met Don once, at my Grandpa Dave’s home, but I recall what a lovely and kind man he was. Your family is in my prayers.
I have known Mr. Middleton for over 40 years since his son John and I were in grade school together. I have many fond memories of Mr. Middleton. One, in particular, stands out. Mr. Middleton took John and me out Christmas shopping one Saturday before Christmas. On Dewey Avenue, right in front of St. Joseph’s Villa, a car from the opposite direction swerved into our lane, destined for a head-on collision. I have never seen any person react so quickly in my entire life as Mr. Middleton swerved, braked, and steered us out of danger. I owe him. I thank him, and I will truly miss him.
I never met Don, but admired him and his work from afar. He did the data ‘roll-ups’ that were used to determine how we were doing and what areas we needed to focus on. Everyone said what a wonderful man he was. My thoughts are with you all.
Patty
I would like to express my condolences
for the loss of your Father.
Regards,
An Old Friend,
Larry Graves
It is a week-end and this is the time when I usually call Don. I miss my friend. We always had great conversations. We talked about our daily lives. For him it was about how he was coping and getting around, his children, what was new with the friends that we shared and when happened since the last time we talked. For me we talked about work, my family and my thoughts and feelings. We both shared our concerns but I always had many more than he had.
He was always patient and gentle. He was accepting of his life and never showed any bitterness or regret. On the other hand, I always worried about something. He continued to try to show me not to worry. I always knew he was there when I needed him and that over the years became a great comfort. As a friend he became my coach and counselor.
He gave much to me and to everyone, he came in contact with. And from that perspective he had a very full and wonderful life. Everyone I knew always thought of him as a friend. Here are some of their quotes from staff when they heard about his death.
‘ I have been thinking of Don and the qualities which made him a treasure to work with. He was always kind and patient.’
‘He was a real gentleman.’
‘He was a great person’
‘He was a role model for all of us’