Wallace R. Middleton Wally Middleton passed away peacefully at home in Stanwood, WA on Saturday October 24, 2020 with his loving wife and family by his side, at age 98. He was born on November 11, 1921 in Snoqualmie, WA and predeceased by his parents, Alex and Verena Middleton, and his two brothers, William and Paul. Wally is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lillian, son Reid Middleton, daughters Sue (Joel) Niemi, Mary Buck, and Anne (Shawn) Megis. He is also survived by his grandchildren Olivia (Adam) Detweiler, Eric Pearson, Alex (Krista) Niemi, Amber Megis, Brittany Megis, Ryan Bean, and one great-granchild, Eva Bean. He also left many other relatives and friends near and far. Wally dedicated his life to God in 1936 and was faithful in love and commitment to the very end. He was always generous with his care for others, often dropping what he was planning or doing to help out family and friends when he was able to. His steady, constant presence will be missed, but his influence will live on in all who knew and loved him. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army, was sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri, then to Anchorage, AK where he served in the Signal Corp. After he was honorably discharged, he attended WSU for a degree which supported his lifelong love of growing plants and animals. He returned to the Anchorage area, to work for a few years in a government agriculture station in Wasilla, AK. He then set out to find himself a bride and met Lillian in a Bible Study meeting in Portland, OR in the winter of 1951. They were married on April 19, 1952 and a year later their four children began arriving. He and Lillian moved to Stanwood in 1953, lived in three homes there, and made many longtime friends among those in the community and those in their faith. He worked for Foremost Dairies as Chief Ice Cream maker in Everett, WA until 1980, when he retired early. During his years of making ice cream, his family was spoiled by a freezer always filled with frozen treats and 3- gallon containers of ice cream, which he never grew tired of eating. During his retirement, he enjoyed more time to help others, garden, graft fruit trees, bake bread, can, and make apple cider, root beer, and ice cream the oldfashioned way. He loved giving away the produce he grew to friends and family. He started making Christmas bread every year, giving each child's family a loaf, then teaching the grandchildren how to carry on the tradition. He loved to hike with family and friends. He made his first annual birthday trip up Mount Pilchuck at age 80 and his last at age 85 with younger friends John and Sheri Elley and Steve Youngren along to make sure he stayed safe. Wally was an avid blood donor from his early 20's, and over the next 70 years, donated 20 gallons. He was dedicated to helping save lives and so disappointed when it was no longer possible for him to do so in that manner. A very special thank you to all who called, visited, and sent messages, and to all at Hospice and his caregivers Maria and Kathy, all of whom supported him and the rest of the family in many ways during his last days. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to Hospice or your favorite charity. Viewing will be at Gilbertson Funeral Home in Stanwood, WA on November 2 and 3 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. There will be a private service and burial. For any who are interested in calling in to listen to the service on Saturday, November 7 at 11:00 am, the number is (720)740-9316. There is no extra passcode to access the call