Sewickley United Methodist Church

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Passing of Paul Collier

Dear Sewickley UMC Family,

Paul Collier, a member of SUMC since moving to the area in 1994, passed away on July 2. Below is his obituary.

Paul Robert Collier, age 89, passed away peacefully at Beaver Medical Center on July 2, 2020. Born on December 17, 1930 in Elkhart, Indiana, Paul was a bright, social child who enjoyed many sporting endeavors. His favorite sport was baseball, but he also enjoyed golf, football, track and was an avid fan of the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins and Penn State Nittany Lions.

He pursued a degree in Math at Purdue University where he met his wife of 62 years, Judith Jeanne Nichols. They married and in 1955, Paul entered the United States Marine Corps. He graduated from the Officers Candidate School and entered flight training class. He flew fighter jets for 5 years and spent 3 years flying as a reservist. After his military service, he returned to his previous employer E.I. DuPont, where he continued to work in product development and sales for 36 years.

He was a resident of the Masonic Village of Sewickley and was an active member of the Sewickley Men’s Club as well as a variety of veteran’s organizations. He loved sharing stories with friends and neighbors and playing billiards and poker.

He is survived by his eldest daughter, Catherine Walters of Carlisle, and his youngest daughter, Barbara David (Jim) of Mechanicsburg, he has 5 grandchildren, Michael and Adam Collier, Joanna Miller (Zach) and Rachael and Caroline David. He has 3 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Judith, and his son, Gary (Sharon) Collier.

He will be inurned alongside his wife at Sewickley Cemetery with a memorial service for family at a future date. If you wish, contributions in his honor can be made to the Sewickley Men’s Club at the YMCA in Sewickley.