Charles Theodore Collier

Charles "Chuck" Collier's life was music to his ears and those of his family and friends. Any tune would do, from a church hymn to Sinatra or a radio jingle. Mr. Collier, who adored his family and friends and showed his compassion for people in humble gestures, died peacefully in Beaverton on Aug. 17 -- while listening to a Mozart symphony. He was 83. The cause of death was complications from Alzheimer's Disease. He participated throughout his adult life in choral groups and community bands in the Portland area -- playing horn in the One More Time Around Again Marching Band during the Rose Festival and singing tenor in choirs at St. Michael and All Angels and St. John the Baptist Episcopal congregations. Beset with dementia in his final years, he was at a loss for words but his hearing and his spirit did not fail him. He cracked a wide smile and his eyes came alive to the sound of Doc Watson picking "On the banks of the Ohio" or Barbra Streisand's "The way we were" in a Karaoke singalong. "Dad's miracle is that as he suffered from a brain breakdown he lived in his heart more than ever, reaching out to help a man in his care home grasp a spoon or holding a door for a woman to pass through in her wheelchair," said his son Michael. Charles Theodore Collier was born Aug. 30, 1929, and his first act was a change of rhythm: His mother and father, Harold and Beatrice Collier of Norwalk, Ohio, were on a summer vacation in Petoskey, Mich., when he came into the world. His youth was marked by two global events, the Great Depression and World War II. He graduated from high school in 1948 and five years later he earned a bachelor's degree in education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. At the same time, he served three years in the Ohio National Guard. Mr. Collier moved to the American Southwest after college and earned a master's degree in school administration from New Mexico Western College. In 1954, he married Alice Tschanen, also from Ohio, in Silver City, N.M. A year later, their first child, Cathy, was born in Phoenix. In early 1957, their second child, Michael, was born in Bagdad, Ariz., a copper mining town where Mr. Collier taught music in the public schools. Seeking new horizons, they moved to Oregon in 1961, settling in Beaverton. Mr. Collier changed careers, working as a representative for Horace Mann Insurance Co. In 1967, the family expanded by two more with the births of twins -- Kevin and John. After retiring in 1990, he spent his time with his wife, his grown children and his grandchildren, making regular visits to their homes in Oregon, Washington and California. He continued to play in bands and choirs, and he and Alice traveled throughout North America. As a child of the Depression, Mr.Collier believed in saving money and he was an avid collector of coins and anything else that might bear a dividend. He passed along some of the saved loot to his children and grandchildren. A few years ago, his family discovered a curious collection while sifting through his stored valuables: Hundreds of matchbooks squirreled away in the garage. At his 82nd birthday party, with his short-term memory fading, he had no problem recalling when he started that collection. "When I was 7," he said, with a sheepish grin. Mr. Collier was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Marilyn Collier, and a niece and nephew, all from Ohio. Survivors include his wife, Alice, of Beaverton; daughter Cathy Tschanen of Ashland, Ore.; sons Michael of Richmond, Calif., Kevin of Bend, Ore., and John of Salem, Ore.; his nine grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 7 at St. John the Baptist Church, 6300 S.W. Nicol Rd., Portland. Memorial contributions can be sent to Alzheimer's Research, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C., 20090, or to the Episcopal parish of St. John the Baptist Church, 6300 SW Nicol Rd., Portland, OR 97223. Arrangements by Autumn Funerals, Cremation & Burial.