Robert Francis Middleton

Robert Francis (Bob) Middleton passed away at his Grand Forks home on Saturday, March 24, 2012. Bob was born June 6, 1931 to Elsie (Hanson) and Clyde Middleton of Manvel, ND. His boyhood in Manvel, where his dad owned the hardware store, was the source of many good memories - and stories - in his later years. In 1948, he graduated from Manvel High School and attended the University of North Dakota, where he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, an association that was important to him throughout his life. He also signed up for ROTC, and after graduating with a marketing degree, he proudly served two years - and earned his pilot's license - at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. In 1955, Bob married Carol Page of Grand Forks and they had two daughters, Lynn and Joan. He also returned to UND on the GI Bill to become a mechanical engineer. His career was largely spent in the Power Production Department of Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls, MN. In 1988, he retired from the company and moved back to Grand Forks to be with family. Bob and Carol were both ardent supporters of UND and members of the Sioux Booster Club. They rarely missed a hockey or basketball game. After Carol's death in 2005, Bob endowed a UND Women's Basketball scholarship in her honor and continued as a loyal Sioux fan for the rest of his life, attending games with his dear sister-in-law and long-time fellow Sioux fan, Sandy Morken. Bob and Carol spent many enjoyable summers at their Pickerel Lake cabin near Fergus Falls, where Bob enjoyed golfing, and going out to dinner with friends. He was a voracious reader, and made it his goal to read all of the mysteries in the Grand Forks Public Library - alphabetically, by author. He loved to collect historical photographs of old Grand Forks and Manvel. He was an early personal computer enthusiast, and could often be found huddled over his pc, downloading old songs and surfing the web. Bob was a person of habit and simple pleasures. He loved to collect and tell jokes and funny stories. He enjoyed "fussing around" and finding projects to work on. Whenever anything needed fixing, he was there! In recent years, he made daily trips to McDonald's for lunch in his trusty little red Chevy pickup. He boasted about having eaten Wheaties for breakfast nearly every day of his life, from boyhood on. As he often told his daughters, "You'd BETTER eat your Wheaties!" Bob is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Lynn Middleton-Koller (Steve Koller) and Joan Middleton (Jerry High). He was a kind and gentle person who will be greatly missed by them, as well as by good friends and extended family: sister-in-law, Sandra Morken; nieces and nephew, Dawnn Sue Morken (Dennis Kyle), Carla (Don) Kramer, Bill (Alice) Morken, and their families. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Details will be published when they become available. Bob never met a dog he didn't like; thus memorials are requested to Circle of Friends Humane Society of Grand Forks (4375 N. Washington St., Grand Forks, ND 58203).