William Carlton Collier Jr.

William Carlton Collier, Jr., our beloved Bill, passed away peacefully and without pain in the early morning hours of January 28, 2020, in a rehab center after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was 84 years young. He is survived by his longtime partner, Jerry Lipscomb, who was with Bill when he passed, and by many, many friends and former co-workers. Bill served in the United States Navy in the early nineteen-fifties aboard the aircraft carrier CV-43 USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Bill was a communications and radio technician. His love of electronics served him well after his service. He worked for several electronic and computer firms which often allowed him to travel to job sites, setting up, testing, and training others to use various machines and equipment. And assembling radio and phonograph components from kits was a favorite hobby of his for years. Bill Collier lived life large. His passion for opera, his vast knowledge of classical music, the art of Vincent Van Gogh, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and his love of movies and books made him a sparkling conversationalist and raconteur. His rapier wit, dry sense of humor, and disarming smile was known by all. His laughter was always genuine, and inviting all to join in even if the joke was on himself. Bill loved fine food and good friends. He loved entertaining and being entertained. Although cordially reserved with strangers, Bill Collier was the most devoted friend anyone could have. He was generous with his time, his money, and himself to anyone. He treasured his little house and was never happier than when puttering about his yard tending flowers, or mowing the grass, or planting a new shrub or tree. As Bill declined in his later years, he never lost his love of life or his sense of humor. After breaking his femur in 2018, his mobility became limited and his cognitive powers began to decline. But even so, when in public, Bill had a hearty "Hello," or good wishes of the season, to anyone and everyone accompanied by that engaging smile. Although his body aged and his mind began to fail him, he always had a smile. Bill was always cheerful, always trying to "do better" as he put it, always wanting to be useful. He never gave up. Bill Collier was the type of man that many aspire to be but so few really are. His passing leaves a gap that will never really be refilled. But his legacy of love and laughter and generosity will never fade. You simply felt better in Bill's presence, and you felt you were a better person for having known him. Shakespeare could have been thinking of Bill when he wrote, "His life was gentle; and the elements. So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, THIS WAS A MAN." In lieu of flowers, please make donation in Bill's name to Boys Town of Omaha Nebraska,( https://support.boystown.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2421&mfc_pref=T&2421.donation=form1 ) St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, ( https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html ) or the Alzheimer's Foundation. ( https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/ )

William Carlton Collier Jr.

July 30, 1935 - January 28, 2020