Elizabeth Jo Knotts Middleton, 84, beloved wife and mother, died Tuesday, March 1, 2022 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Mrs. Middleton was born November 15, 1937 in Washington, DC, the daughter of Elizabeth Parker Knotts of Spencer, North Carolina, and Dale D. Knotts of Marion, Indiana.

Elizabeth Jo completed her studies in English Literature and her graduate studies at Mary Washington College and the University of Virginia, and did graduate studies in theology at the Catholic University of Hamilton, Virginia. While an undergraduate student, she was selected for “Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities”. Elizabeth Jo was an accomplished writer.

She began her career in the US Senate as a legislative aide, then worked for the private sector and the federal government. Given her political background and training in counseling short-term clients by the NIH’s Division of Drug and Alcoholism, Elizabeth Jo was chosen as the director of the new drug prevention agency Rappahannock, to serve five political subdivisions in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area. After the agency was established, she returned to federal service with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where she created technical training, remedial, and apprenticeship programs.

Upon her retirement, Elizabeth Jo became a freelance writer for various periodicals, including Fredericksburg Virginia’s Front Porch Magazine, the columns for which she won several Virginia Press Awards. Ms Middleton was a longtime activist and legislative volunteer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Virginia and was MADD’s guest columnist with the Oxford Eagle in Oxford, Mississippi. She was also a guest columnist for the Oxford Eagle and the North Mississippi Herald, writing about the revolutionary history programs given by the Daniel McKie chapter, Sons of the American Revolution.

Elizabeth Jo is survived by her husband, Kenneth Paul Middleton; son Stephen Parker Middleton (Maria) of Oreland, Pennsylvania; and his granddaughter Christina Elizabeth Middleton.

Elizabeth Jo was predeceased by her youngest son, Johnathan Dale Middleton of Fredericksburg, VA. He is survived by his wife, Leah Ramberg Middleton.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 1, 2022 at Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church, Spotsylvania, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be sent to The Henry H. Kessler, Inc. Foundation, in honor of Stephen Middleton, for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Research, 300 Executive Drive, Suite 150 West Orange, NJ 07052-3390.

The online guest book is available at covenantfuneralservice.com.