James Richard Collier
April 07, 1939 - August 07, 2021
Jim was born in Yankton, South Dakota to Guy and Elizabeth Collier, the one son of seven children.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Wichita State University and a Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, launching a lifelong pursuit of teaching and leading institutions of higher education.
He had a distinguished career, leaving legacies at top universities across the country. From his beginning at Fort Hayes State University, he led students, faculty and staff at the universities of Iowa, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, Washington, Northern Colorado and San Francisco State. Though always and forever loyal to all his schools, he was most proud of his manyyears as Vice President for University Relations at theUniversity of Washington. Purple and Gold was in his blood.
Always involved in his communities, he served on many boards including the Washington Athletic Club, 101 Club, King County Medical, KUOW, KCTS and Mount Marty University.
He embraced the Pacific Northwest calling Seattle home for forty years, though at heart he was a Midwesterner. He never forgot his Yankton roots. "They are my people," he would say. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Yankton High. He never missed an opportunity to return and maintained a lifetime bond with a small group of dear friends from his childhood.
If Seattle was home and Yankton his heart, family was his love. He was immensely proud of his three children, Jamie, Jill and Erin. He dearly loved April, his wife of 30 years. He adored his seven grandchildren McNeil, Madeleine, Ruby, Caroline, Taylor, Lawson and Blythe. "Grandpa Jumbo" never missed a milestone and was a fixture at their school and athletic events. Additionally, he is survived by in-laws Shelby, Troy and Bruce, sister Beth and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 17, 2021at 11:00am at St. Bridget Catholic Church, 4900 NE 50th, Seattle followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery and a celebration of his life at Sand Point Country Club.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Collier Family Endowed Scholarship in Medicine or the Dementia Physician Training Fund at the University of Washington.
His family would like to thank his large and extended team of caregivers including Dr. Barak Gaster, the staff at the Harborview Brain and Wellness Center, the caring staff at Aegis on Queen Anne and the wonderful team at Evergreen Hospice.
April 07, 1939 - August 07, 2021
Jim was born in Yankton, South Dakota to Guy and Elizabeth Collier, the one son of seven children.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Wichita State University and a Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, launching a lifelong pursuit of teaching and leading institutions of higher education.
He had a distinguished career, leaving legacies at top universities across the country. From his beginning at Fort Hayes State University, he led students, faculty and staff at the universities of Iowa, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, Washington, Northern Colorado and San Francisco State. Though always and forever loyal to all his schools, he was most proud of his manyyears as Vice President for University Relations at theUniversity of Washington. Purple and Gold was in his blood.
Always involved in his communities, he served on many boards including the Washington Athletic Club, 101 Club, King County Medical, KUOW, KCTS and Mount Marty University.
He embraced the Pacific Northwest calling Seattle home for forty years, though at heart he was a Midwesterner. He never forgot his Yankton roots. "They are my people," he would say. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Yankton High. He never missed an opportunity to return and maintained a lifetime bond with a small group of dear friends from his childhood.
If Seattle was home and Yankton his heart, family was his love. He was immensely proud of his three children, Jamie, Jill and Erin. He dearly loved April, his wife of 30 years. He adored his seven grandchildren McNeil, Madeleine, Ruby, Caroline, Taylor, Lawson and Blythe. "Grandpa Jumbo" never missed a milestone and was a fixture at their school and athletic events. Additionally, he is survived by in-laws Shelby, Troy and Bruce, sister Beth and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 17, 2021at 11:00am at St. Bridget Catholic Church, 4900 NE 50th, Seattle followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery and a celebration of his life at Sand Point Country Club.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Collier Family Endowed Scholarship in Medicine or the Dementia Physician Training Fund at the University of Washington.
His family would like to thank his large and extended team of caregivers including Dr. Barak Gaster, the staff at the Harborview Brain and Wellness Center, the caring staff at Aegis on Queen Anne and the wonderful team at Evergreen Hospice.
James Richard Collier
April 07, 1939 - August 07, 2021
Jim was born in Yankton, South Dakota to Guy and Elizabeth Collier, the one son of seven children.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Wichita State University and a Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, launching a lifelong pursuit of teaching and leading institutions of higher education.
He had a distinguished career, leaving legacies at top universities across the country. From his beginning at Fort Hayes State University, he led students, faculty and staff at the universities of Iowa, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, Washington, Northern Colorado and San Francisco State. Though always and forever loyal to all his schools, he was most proud of his manyyears as Vice President for University Relations at theUniversity of Washington. Purple and Gold was in his blood.
Always involved in his communities, he served on many boards including the Washington Athletic Club, 101 Club, King County Medical, KUOW, KCTS and Mount Marty University.
He embraced the Pacific Northwest calling Seattle home for forty years, though at heart he was a Midwesterner. He never forgot his Yankton roots. "They are my people," he would say. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Yankton High. He never missed an opportunity to return and maintained a lifetime bond with a small group of dear friends from his childhood.
If Seattle was home and Yankton his heart, family was his love. He was immensely proud of his three children, Jamie, Jill and Erin. He dearly loved April, his wife of 30 years. He adored his seven grandchildren McNeil, Madeleine, Ruby, Caroline, Taylor, Lawson and Blythe. "Grandpa Jumbo" never missed a milestone and was a fixture at their school and athletic events. Additionally, he is survived by in-laws Shelby, Troy and Bruce, sister Beth and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 17, 2021at 11:00am at St. Bridget Catholic Church, 4900 NE 50th, Seattle followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery and a celebration of his life at Sand Point Country Club.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Collier Family Endowed Scholarship in Medicine or the Dementia Physician Training Fund at the University of Washington.
His family would like to thank his large and extended team of caregivers including Dr. Barak Gaster, the staff at the Harborview Brain and Wellness Center, the caring staff at Aegis on Queen Anne and the wonderful team at Evergreen Hospice.
April 07, 1939 - August 07, 2021
Jim was born in Yankton, South Dakota to Guy and Elizabeth Collier, the one son of seven children.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Wichita State University and a Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, launching a lifelong pursuit of teaching and leading institutions of higher education.
He had a distinguished career, leaving legacies at top universities across the country. From his beginning at Fort Hayes State University, he led students, faculty and staff at the universities of Iowa, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, Washington, Northern Colorado and San Francisco State. Though always and forever loyal to all his schools, he was most proud of his manyyears as Vice President for University Relations at theUniversity of Washington. Purple and Gold was in his blood.
Always involved in his communities, he served on many boards including the Washington Athletic Club, 101 Club, King County Medical, KUOW, KCTS and Mount Marty University.
He embraced the Pacific Northwest calling Seattle home for forty years, though at heart he was a Midwesterner. He never forgot his Yankton roots. "They are my people," he would say. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Yankton High. He never missed an opportunity to return and maintained a lifetime bond with a small group of dear friends from his childhood.
If Seattle was home and Yankton his heart, family was his love. He was immensely proud of his three children, Jamie, Jill and Erin. He dearly loved April, his wife of 30 years. He adored his seven grandchildren McNeil, Madeleine, Ruby, Caroline, Taylor, Lawson and Blythe. "Grandpa Jumbo" never missed a milestone and was a fixture at their school and athletic events. Additionally, he is survived by in-laws Shelby, Troy and Bruce, sister Beth and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 17, 2021at 11:00am at St. Bridget Catholic Church, 4900 NE 50th, Seattle followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery and a celebration of his life at Sand Point Country Club.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Collier Family Endowed Scholarship in Medicine or the Dementia Physician Training Fund at the University of Washington.
His family would like to thank his large and extended team of caregivers including Dr. Barak Gaster, the staff at the Harborview Brain and Wellness Center, the caring staff at Aegis on Queen Anne and the wonderful team at Evergreen Hospice.
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