Joe E. Middleton

Joe E. Middleton, 87, of Leawood, KS passed peacefully on January 5, 2022. Services will be Saturday, April 30, 2022 at McGilley State Line Chapel, 12301 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO. A memorial visitation will be held from 1:00-2:00 PM, with a Celebration of Life service at 2:00 PM, immediately followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Village Presbyterian Church.

Joe was born July 6, 1934, in Forsyth, MO to Cecil E. and Mabel Dickenson Middleton. He grew up in Kansas City, MO, where he graduated from Southeast High School in 1953. Joe served in the US Army (1957-59) and was deployed in Berlin, Germany during the Cold War. He married Janet Shultz Middleton in 1960. Joe was an avid reader and historian, and a member of Village Presbyterian Church, White River Historical Society, and Jackson County Historical Society.

Joe had a long career in the logistics industry. He joined Kansas City Terminal Railway at the Union Station in 1953. He was General Foreman Mail & Baggage from 1967 until 1973 when he was recruited into the trucking and warehousing industry. Joe was President of Kansas City Commercial Cartage Company and Crooks Warehouses of Kansas City, and a member of Kansas City Cartagemens Association and Public Warehouse Operators of Kansas City. Joe retired in 2007 as President of Total Distribution and Kansas City Distribution Services.

Joe was preceded in death by Jan, his wife of 52 years who passed in 2012, and brother Jack Middleton (Susan). He is survived by daughter Jackie Middleton; son-in-law Kent Cable; granddaughters Jessica Middleton Zidek, Catie Cable, and Ally Cable; brother Ron Middleton (Linda); and companion Elaine James. The family wishes to thank his aide Connie Vandewater, along with his caregivers at Stratford Commons and Medisys Hospice.