Valda Vere Collier
Valda Vere (Fruit) Collier, 96, Pierceton, passed away 12:25 a.m. on Thursday, April 4, 2019, at Parkview Whitley Hospital in Columbia City.
She was born on June 2, 1922, in rural Packerton, to Ruth (McFarren) Fruit and Frank Fruit. On Feb. 14, 1946, she was married in Warsaw, to Charles Robert Collier, they shared 68 years of marriage before he passed away on April 22, 2014.
She was a lifetime resident of Kosciusko County, and a 1940 graduate of Pierceton High School. Mrs. Collier and her husband, Charles, started Collier Oil Company just outside of Pierceton in 1956. Together they ran the company for 35 years until its closing in 1991.
She was a member of Pierceton Presbyterian Church and enjoyed being a 75-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She enjoyed sewing and traveling, she and Charles were able to visit all 50 states. Most of all she loved being at home with her family, this past Christmas she had 134 stockings hung. For the past five years, she had been lovingly cared for in her own home by family members. She will be dearly remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She will be forever loved by her family and friends.
She is survived by her five sons: James (Linda) Collier, Warsaw; Lew (Terri) Collier, Warsaw; Chuck (Lise) Collier, Pierceton; Tim (Deborah) Collier, Pierceton; Mark Collier, Sidney; three daughters: Sharon (Harold) Lehman, Pierceton; Colleen (Mike) Trueblood, North Manchester; and Marsha (Greg) Holmes, Angola. She also leaves behind her beloved 26 grandchildren and 60 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three brothers, and her daughter-in-law, Pam.
Visitation will be held from 3-8 p.m., Monday, April 8, at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw, Indiana; and an hour prior to the service from 10-11 a.m., Tuesday, April 9.
Her life will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home and officiated by Pastor Eric Trump. Burial will follow with a graveside service at Hillcrest Cemetery in Pierceton, Indiana.
Memorial donations may be directed to Parkview Home Health & Hospice, 105 N. Madison Street, Columbia City, Indiana 46725 and would be appreciated by the family.
Online condolences may be sent through the funeral home’s Web Site at www.redpathfruthfuneralhome.com