Cleva B. Middleton, 92, formerly of Nixa passed away Monday morning, February 18, 2019. She was born on November 13, 1926 in Clever, the daughter of Claude C. and Bessie E. (Jones) Compton. She married Leo Middleton on May 6, 1946.
He preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by five brothers and one sister. Surviving are: two sons, Robert Leo (Julie) Middleton, and Jim (Ronda) Middleton; three daughters, Katherine (John M.) Davis, Janice (Terry) Kendrick, and Marlene (Gianni Donati) Middleton; twelve grandchildren, John C. (Traci) Davis, Kelly (Darren) Garrison, Lisa (Bill) Odom, Rob (Tom, deceased) Middleton, Jessie (Penny) Middleton, Emily (Hank) Swank, Dan (Brittni) Kendrick, Jamie (Chris) Campagnola, Jason (Alexandra) Edwards, Aaron (Kellie) Larson, James Middleton, and Jared Middleton; twenty-seven great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; one brother, Willie Compton; numerous nieces and nephews; and a special family friend, Kim Dynes.
Cleva worked as a high school cafeteria cook for 20 years, and has been regarded as “the best bread roll baker in all of Missouri”. Work, Service, Love The detailing of facts is important for future researchers but a person’s life is so much more. We want you to better understand our mom.
Cleva was raised knowing how to work hard and long which was a necessity for survival on a farm. She married Leo Middleton after he returned from fighting in the World War II European campaign in 1946. She and Leo resided on a farm in and around Jamesville, Missouri where they raised five children.
Beside all of her household chores she gardened to provide year round food for the family. She milked the dairy cows, tended the pigs and chickens also as a means to provide for her family. Cleva took care and provided transportation for her in laws.
She did all of the laundry for two families with the aid of a ringer type washer. During the summer months when the well went dry, Cleva would haul water in metal milk cans from her in laws well. She never complained about how hard her life and her work was.
She worked from sun up starting her day in the milk barn with Leo and through out the day tending the garden, picking and canning the vegetables, cleaning, sewing dresses for her daughters, cooking three meals a day and always baking daily to provide for her family. Her day ended well after sunset. As her children became older, she got a second job.
She worked as head cook for the Nixa School District for twenty-five years and after retirement, while living in Nixa she continued to work at various jobs outside the house. She was busy even when sitting. She always had some needlework in her lap.
She sewed quilts, embroidered, knitted and crocheted. She was never quiet until her later years when she became incapacitated due to Parkinson’s disease. She was cared for lovingly for four year in her home by her five children and care-givers.
One special care person, Kim Dynes, became the ‘fourth sister’ due to the love and compassion she shared with Cleva and the family. Many memories were often shared with and by Cleva as her family and friends gathered on the front porch at her Bennett Street house. No one could turn a dull workday into an event like Cleva, and the many children and grandchildren always helped out.
Whether it was a workday to paint the house, pick and can green beans or work in the garden, her children were always there to add an extra set of hands because we all remember her saying “many hands make quick work”. She loved to bake and her cinnamon rolls were legendary and her pies outstanding. Food was an important part of her life and it was probably because she knew what it meant to be hungry as a child.
She was known to say “there were times when all we had to eat was an old, cold biscuit for lunch”. As a result she always had room for one more person at the dining table. This generosity of food was also reflected in her faithful service and loving care she provided for family members in their failing days.
She took care of her brother Roy and his wife Gracie allowing them to live out their lives in their home. While living in Jamesville, Cleva was a member of Jamesville Missionary Baptist Church where she was the song leader for many years. She loved to sing and listen to gospel and blue grass music and in her last years living at Ozark Riverview Manor her daughters would sing to her and she would sometimes join in still being able to sing on key.
At the time of her passing, she was a member of Hopedale Baptist Church. Cleva’s last years were lived at Ozark Riverview Manor where she received care from so many wonderful people. Her daughters, Janice and Kathy daily visits not only benefited their mom but you would often see both daughters helping other residents with some small task or a word of encouragement.
Thus, Cleva’s values of work, love and compassion live on in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We hope you now see what we have known all of our life; Mom was a ‘good and faithful servant’ to her family, community and her Lord. A funeral will be held for Cleva at 3:00 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2019 in Adams Funeral Home, Nixa, with Pastor Terry Kendrick officiating.
Friends and relatives are invited to a visitation with the family from 2-3 pm prior to the service in the funeral home. Burial will be held in McConnell-Bledsoe Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Cleva’s honor may be made to Autism Speaks and Least of These Food Pantry.
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