Hugh Lane Middleton passed away peacefully on October 1, 2017 at his home in Rye, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.
Born in Blakely, Georgia, on March 3, 1929, he was the son of Curtis and Una Middleton. Lane, as he was called, spent his life in many places, including Pensacola, Florida, Morristown, New Jersey, Radford, Virginia, and, most recently, Rye, where he moved with his beloved wife Rosemary to be near their three children and their families.
After graduating from Thomasville High School, he served in the U.S. Army in Japan from 1946 to 1948. Mr. Middleton was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity at Georgia Tech, where he earned a B.S. in Textile Engineering program in 1952.
In 1956, he married Rosemary Aikin. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year.
Mr. Middleton worked for the Textile Division of Monsanto in Florida, until he was transferred to New York City in 1961, at which point he moved his family to Morristown, N.J.
Starting in 1975, he held several positions in the textile industry in Virginia and Tennessee, and his family settled in Radford, Virginia, where he and his wife remained for 40 years. In Radford, he was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church, an avid outdoorsman, and enjoyed playing tennis with friends.
After his retirement, Mr. Middleton pursued his passion for oil painting and recently had a show of his work in Rye.
He was very proud of his family, which included three children and eight grandchildren. He is survived by his wife Rosemary; his daughter Janet and her husband, Tom Montag of New York City, his son Rob and his wife Sarah Middleton of Smithtown, N.Y., his younger son Curt and his wife Amy Middleton of Pelham, N.Y.; his sister Sibyl Plumly of Atlanta; his brother David Middleton and his wife Pam of Jacksonville, Fla.; and his grandchildren: Kathryn Middleton and Jean Montag of San Francisco, and Matt Middleton, Jeff Montag, Grace Middleton, Lanie Montag, and Addie and Max Middleton, all of New York.
A memorial service will be held at Christ’s Church Rye on Saturday, October 28 at 4 p.m., followed by a reception at The Osborn.
Donations in Lane Middleton’s memory may be made to the Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders at NYU Langone Medical Center.
