Robert Leroy Middleton

Robert Leroy Middleton, 85, of Huntsville, passed away Friday. He was born in Daytona Beach Florida to Hazel Lee Middleton and Edwin Leroy Middleton. He graduated from Mainland High School in 1948 and enlisted in the Army in 1950. He attended the Army Officer Candidate School in Fort Riley, Kansas and was commissioned the rank of Second Lieutenant. He was assigned to the Armored School in Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served as a Tank Unit Commander during the Korean Conflict. He was Honorably Discharged as a First Lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1953. He enrolled in Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) and graduated with a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering. While in school, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Tau Beta Pi honorary engineering fraternity. Mr. Middleton was employed by Convair (now Lockheed) in Fort Worth, Texas and, in 1962, accepted a position with NASA in Huntsville. During his 27-year career with NASA, he worked on the Saturn V-Apollo program, the Shuttle program and other NASA endeavors. He was especially proud to be selected for the team to investigate the Challenger accident at the Cape. After retirement from NASA, he held a position as a Senior Research Engineer with UA Huntsville. He enjoyed many water sports, tennis, restoring and working on older models of cars and boats. He especially looked forward to the annual Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll where he portrayed Russell Erskine for several years. He was a member of the Golden K Kiwanis Club and previously a member of the Huntsville Kiwanis Club. He was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church. He was predeceased by his parents and one son, David Charles Middleton. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Helen Coppedge Middleton; son, Michael Robert Middleton of Austin, Texas; and granddaughters, Amanda Middleton of Durham, North Carolina and Kara Middleton of Alpharetta, Georgia. Visitation will be from 12:30 to 1:45 a.m. Tuesday in the parlor at First United Methodist Church. A memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Faith Endowment Fund, c/o First United Methodist Church, 120 Greene St., Huntsville, AL 35801; Kiwanis Golden K Project Fund, PO Box 4648, Huntsville, AL 35815; or a charity of your choice.