Glenard S. Middleton Sr., a labor leader who was an advocate for blue-collar workers and headed the public service union AFSCME, died of diabetic complications Nov. 7 at a Baltimore assisted living home. He was 76.

“He and I have been friends since childhood. Glen loved his family, cherished his friends and didn’t suffer fools lightly. He constantly defied the limits of others’ expectations and gave us an example of perseverance that made us all the better for having known him,” said Congressman Kweisi Mfume.

“Glenard’s tenacious work ethic and sense of fairness led to him becoming a forceful, effective and respected labor leader and civil rights advocate,” the congressman said in a statement.

Friends said he fought to keep Baltimore’s water supply system staffed by union members when there was a plan to privatize it. He battled cuts in the custodial staff of the school system and also backed the single-member Baltimore City Council districts that exist today.

“He could walk the halls of Annapolis or the Capitol and communicate the needs of hardworking people in an upbeat, positive, friendly way,” Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman said.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Cherry Hill and Turner Station, he was the son of Lawrence Middleton, a Bethlehem Steel shipyard worker, and his wife, Gladys Partlow Middleton. He was a Dundalk High School graduate.

In 1979 he married Sharon Green after meeting her at a Coppin University graduation ceremony at the old Baltimore Civic Center. She now serves on the Baltimore City Council.

Mr. Middleton was a Baltimore City correctional officer who became active in his union.

“Mr. Middleton, a former Baltimore jail guard, was elected to the top job with Council 67 in 1987 in an angry, hectic election that had to be resolved by the national union. He was fired from that position by his board in 1991, a decision later overturned by the union’s national president,” a 1993 Baltimore Sun article said. “The day after the board’s vote to replace Mr. Middleton with staff representative John H. Carter, a fistfight broke out in the parking lot between members of the two factions.”

“He was a tough, tenacious trade unionist. When you walked down the street in Baltimore with Glen, no matter what neighborhood you were in, folks knew him and would greet him,” said Lee Saunders, the national president of AFSCME and a close friend.

“If you met Glen, you would never forget him. He was a people person. If he met you on the street, he’d forever call you by your name. He would take time to listen,” said Dorothy Bryant, the union official who succeeded Mr. Middleton.

“Glen knew the dignity of work, he stood with people for dignity on the job and in our communities. He understood how important it was for everyone to have a seat at the table no matter what your station in life,” said Patrick Moran, president of Maryland AFSCME.

Survivors include his wife, Sharon Green Middleton; a son, Glenard S. Middleton Jr., of Baltimore; two daughters, Otesa Miles, of Richmond, Virginia, and Anika Middleton, of Baltimore; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 22 at Empowerment Temple, 4217 Primrose Ave.