Ida Middleton

St. Marys- Ida E. Middleton, 87, passed away Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at the home of her daughter near St. Marys. She was born on a farm in Kent, WA, on July 31, 1922 the daughter of John and Olga Forsti Winsberg, immigrants from Finland. She was raised in Kent where she graduated from high school and then went to beauty school and worked in a beauty shop. Ida worked at a box factory and loaded freight cars while going to school to become a machinist. She worked for the Pacific Car & Foundry as a journeyman machinist building General Sherman tanks. Ida joined the U.S. Marines and was the first woman to join the 1st Platoon in Seattle, WA, being sworn in over the radio. She went to boot camp and transportation school in North Carolina and was a mechanic taking care of and driving 18 wheeler troop trucks. While stationed in Santa Barbara, CA, she was a driver for different generals and was discharged on August 11, 1945. Mrs. Middleton had many occupations in her life. She worked on the family farm, was a clerk in a post office, and helped her husband in the family business Middleton Construction. Ida sold Avon and mobile homes and had owned and operated her own steak house. She was a 4-H leader and started horsemanship classes in two different counties. She had been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader for many years. She was a life long member of the United Methodist Church she also was a lifetime member of DAV and a legionnaire. In 1998 Ida and Bill moved from Phoenix to St. Marys to live with their daughter Sandy. She started going blind in 1999 from Macular Degeneration. She attended a two week seminar with Bill by her side at the Blind Institute in Topeka, and had gone back there to be a speaker to others that attended the institute. Ida attended the talking computer school in WACO, TX, after Bill passed away and graduated from the V.A. program. She also attended living skills training classes sponsored by the V.A. in Kansas City. She took braille classes at the Blind Institute in Topeka in 2002 to learn how to read and write braille. Ida was a very special person in light of any kind of adversity she kept looking forward to the positive side and had always been kind and giving to others. She was always someone to look up to and learn from and was always full of strength and hope. Ida met her future husband in the marines. William S. “Bill” Middleton and Ida Winsberg were united in marriage on April 21, 1945 and were married 55 years before he passed away on June 25, 2000. To this union 6 children were born, which included Sonya, Lonnie who was born premature and died 7 days later, Billie who died at the age of 4 ½ from an accident, Bruce, passed away Nov. 11, 2002, Sandy, and Brad, who preceded her in death on January 7, 2003. Ida was also preceded in death by a granddaughter, Kimberly Flippen on April 16, 2009. Survivors include two daughters, Sonya Cardinal-Wiley, Silver Lake and Sandy Middleton (Scott Hanner) St. Marys; two grandchildren, C.J. Fields and Cherise Ricommini; three great grandchildren, Cody and Logan Fields and Emma Riccommini. Memorial services will be at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, July 17, 2010 at the St. Marys United Methodist Church where the family will receive friends from 10:00 until service time. Inurnment graveside services with military honors will be at 11:00 A.M. Sunday, July 18, 2010 at the Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, MO. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Ida Middleton Memorial Fund and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple, St. Marys, Kansas 66536.

Ida Middleton

July 31, 1922 - July 13, 2010