Commander James Lee Middleton, USCG, Retired, 81, passed away April 24, 2022 after years of battling diabetes related illnesses. He was born to James Rue and Mayme Middleton in Booneville, Indiana on December 1, 1940, a birthday he shared with his first-born grandchild, Emma.
After Boonville, he spent many years in multiple cities and Countries, including Germany and finished high school in Jasper, Georgia. His college years were spent at Reinhardt College and UT Chattanooga after which, he enlisted in the US Coast Guard and was accepted into Officer Candidate School. He was a helicopter and Falcon jet pilot for most of his career in the Coast Guard, both defending the US shorelines as well as saving the lives of those in need on the seas, risking his own life on many occasions. He had a passion for flying and was also a flight instructor for many years. His military career took him from Pensacola, to Boston, Bermuda, Savannah, GA, Mobile, AL, Astoria, OR, Elizabeth City, NC, and at the end of his tenure to Washington, DC. While in DC, he was asked to serve on the inaugural committee for President George H. W. Bush in which he and his wife were so honored to be able to attend an inaugural ball.
After retiring, he moved back to Georgia with his wife, Sandra Ballew Middleton, and spent most of his time devoted to his family, as well as getting his teaching degree. Once they started having grandchildren, Mamama & Dadada (as they were fondly known) filled their days with park trips, ice cream runs, babysitting and spending all their free time with their “babies”. He was a caregiver to Sandra for many years as she battled ovarian cancer. After her passing, he focused his attention on his six grandchildren, as they were the light of his life. He was truly a family man like no other and will be greatly missed, but is finally at peace and reunited with his beloved Sandra.
He is predeceased by his wife of 39 years, Sandra Ballew Middleton, of Jasper, Ga and survived by his sisters, Linda Stuart of Macon, Georgia; Lana Peoples of Fayetteville, NC; brother, Jerry Mayes of Deltona, Florida; his daughter, Andra Middleton Brown; son-in-law, David Brown of Atlanta; his son, Tom Middleton and daughter-in-law, Shelley Middleton of Milton, Georgia and six grandchildren Emma Caulkins Brown, Lucille Middleton Brown, Benjamin Rodes Brown, Ashton Ballew Middleton, Griffin James Middleton and Hall Michael Middleton. The Middleton and Brown families want to thank the incredible nurses at St. Joseph’s hospital for their care over the years and especially his primary caregiver, Cynthia Mangum, who showed incredible love, patience and compassion toward our father. A graveside service will be held at 1:30 on Saturday, April 30 at Arlington Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Coast Guard Foundation at coastguardfoundation.org or St. Joseph’s Hospital Atlanta.
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