William A. Lindley, 82, aeronautical engineer William...

William A. Lindley, 82, aeronautical engineer

William Andrew Lindley, a retired aeronautical engineer and avid stamp collector, died Friday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson after a long illness. He was 82 and lived in Lutherville.

Mr. Lindley joined the Glenn L. Martin Co. in Middle River as an engineer before World War II and worked for the company and its successors for 45 years. He retired from Martin-Marietta Corp. in 1986 but continued to do consulting work for the company.

"He was so proud of his work; he just really loved working for the company," said a daughter, Carol Eckhart of Perry Hall. She said her father was particularly proud of the work he did for the company on missiles used in the space program.

"He was really enthusiastic about all aspects of the space program," Mrs. Eckhart said, recalling that the family would gather around the television to watch space launches.

Mr. Lindley was a native of Pickway, Ohio, and graduated from Forest Park High School and Wake Forest University. He enjoyed stamp collecting and specialized in stamps from Yugoslavia, Peru, Colombia, Austria, Great Britain and Canada.

He was a member of Havenwood Presbyterian Church since 1956. He had been a Sunday school teacher, a trustee, an elder, and a liaison between the church and a Boy Scout troop. He also was a commissioner for the Boy Scouts.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Havenwood Presbyterian Church, 100 E. Ridgely Road in Timonium.

Survivors include Mr. Lindley's wife of 55 years, the former Dorothy Shankle; another daughter, Joyce Sartwell of Fremont, Calif.; a sister, Suellen Johnson of Foley, Ala.; and three grandchildren.

Kelly B. Middleton, 33, AIDS educator, volunteer

Kelly Barbara Middleton, who worked extensively in volunteer programs for patients with AIDS and HIV, died Friday at Johns Hopkins Hospital from complications of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. She was 33.

Ms. Middleton was diagnosed with the disease in 1989 and became a champion of AIDS education programs, especially for children, that warned of the disease.

Until she became severely ill last month, Ms. Middleton was a regular speaker at AIDS awareness groups in Harford and Carroll counties. She also assisted in the production of medical documentaries for Maryland Public Television.

"She truly threw herself into educating people, especially the young, about this disease," said her mother, Linda Middleton Clarke of Towson.

Since the mid-1990s, Ms. Middleton also started and was chairwoman of five chapters of Narcotics Anonymous, an organization dedicated to helping recovering addicts and their family members better understand drug dependence.

Those chapters were in Carroll County, Baltimore, Fells Point, Ellicott City and Canton.

Ms. Middleton was born in Morristown, N.J., and moved to the Baltimore area with her family when she was 11. She was a graduate of Towson High School and later resided in Catonsville.

She worked as a volunteer licensed day care worker at the Little Darlin' Day Care center in Catonsville.

A memorial Mass will be held at 4 p.m. March 5 at St. Pius Roman Catholic Church, York and Overbrook roads in Towson.

In addition to her mother, survivors include a daughter, Jessica Middleton, and a son, Ezra Middleton, both of Towson; a stepfather, Martin R. Clarke of Towson; long-time partner William Sacks of Catonsville; two brothers, James Middleton of Panama City, Fla., and Christopher Middleton of Dingmans Ferry, Pa.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are requested for the pediatric AIDS/HIV program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe St., Park building 293, Baltimore, 21287-2593. Contributions should be addressed to Dr. Nancy Hutton.

Mary R. Taylor, 92, seamstress for Hecht Co.

Mary R. Taylor, who made custom draperies and furniture coverings for Hecht Co. department store, died Friday of pneumonia at Stella Maris Hospice of Mercy Medical Center. She was 92.

A West Virginia native, Mrs. Taylor moved to Baltimore at age 18 after her parents died.

She worked at the Hecht store at Howard and Lexington streets -- then the city's premier crossroads, where five other department stores were located.

"She was self-taught, learned to do what she did on the job," said her niece Erin Trivas of Baltimore. "She was a lot of fun, all the way to her 90s."

Mrs. Taylor retired from Hecht's in 1972 after 32 years.

For 63 years, she lived in a rowhouse on Tolna Street in Highlandtown. Her husband, J. Gilbert Taylor, died in 1979.

In the early 1960s, she was fascinated with the Beltway being built around the city and often drove it and inspected the new road.

In her retirement, Mrs. Taylor enjoyed driving her car and exploring the eastern United States and Canada.

"She was very spry, even watching television," Mrs. Trivas said. "There was nothing she enjoyed more than watching rodeos and the `Jerry Springer Show.'"