Charles CollierCharles CollierCharles E. Collier, 85, of Macomb, formerly of Ipava, died at 9:55 p.m. July 18, 2007, at Wesley Village in Macomb.
He was born July 30, 1921, in Bernadotte Township, Fulton County, the son of Elzie and Margaret Spangler Collier. He married Merrilee Nelson on July 25, 1942, in Palmyra, Mo. She survives.
Also surviving are one son, George Edward (and Michelle) of Katy, Texas; two daughters, Bonnie Lee Poli of Leesburg, Va., and Pam (and Ed) Wickert of Ipava; one sister, Margaret Mytich of Ipava; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
He was in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1942 to 1946, serving in the 371 Air Engineers Squadron.
He was a lifetime farmer, owned and operated Collier Trucking in both Illinois and Florida, helped build Camp Ellis in Ipava and was a livestock farmer in Florida. He retired from DeSoto Correctional Institution, where he was a mechanical instructor for 11 years. He worked with his son in oil exploration in Texas for several years.
He was a member of Ipava American Legion Post #17 and VFW in Arcardia, Fla., and was past president of the American Angus Association of Florida.
Services were held Tuesday at Shawgo Memorial Home in Astoria with Rev. Danie DeBeer officiating. Burial was in Ipava Cemetery with military rites conducted by his legion post.
Memorials may be made to his legion post or Wesley Village Skilled Care Unit.