George Collier

George L. Collier, 75

George L. Collier passed on Aug. 31 in his home, surrounded by his devoted family. This date was especially remarkable in that it would have been his 54th wedding anniversary.

George was born March 27, 1937 in Rensselaer to the Rev. Otis L. Collier and Fern Brum Collier. The Rev. Collier was an ordained Methodist minister.

George attended kindergarten through ninth grade in Attica, where his most memorable moment was, at eight years old, getting to ring the church bell to celebrate V-J Day in 1945. He graduated high school in Frankfort in 1955 and majored in history and journalism at Franklin College of Indiana. There, he was editor of the college newspaper, president of the Young Republican Club, member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and worked as sportswriter for city's daily newspaper, the Franklin Evening Star. He also received the Maurice Early journalism scholarship of the Indianapolis Press Club.

After leaving college, he worked on newspapers in Frankfort and Indianapolis before moving to California in 1963 to join the staff of the Ontario Daily Report as a reporter. Later he became the city editor of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook newspaper before once again returning to The Daily Report in 1973 as wire news editor. George was Promoted to city editor once again, and then was appointed editor of The Daily Report in 1977.

He served one year as editor of the Las Vegas Review Journal in 1981, overseeing a total reorganization of the news staff and a complete redesign of the newspaper, before returning to the editor position in Ontario. He was appointed executive editor of both the Pomona Progress Bulletin and The Daily Report in 1985 with the responsibility of merging the news operations of the two newspapers when they became the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in 1987.

George ended his 32-year career in journalism in 1991 to become a field representative for the second district county supervisor, Jon D. Mikels. He served as the county's project coordinator for the California Speedway land use approval process and constructions in the mid 1990s. He later served three years as chief of staff for the second district before retiring from the county in 2001.

George was deeply devoted to God and was a member of St. Mark's Episcopal church of Upland, Calif. since 1967. Recently, after moving to Inland Christian home in Ontario, he found a church home and attended The Bridge in Chino, Calif.

He is a former member of the Fontana Rotary Club and Rancho Cucamonga YMCA board of directors, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Sigma Delta Chi Society of Professional Journalists, and Los Angeles Press Club and was also on the board of trustees for the Ontario Public Library. He was also a member of the Williams Syndrome Association.

In retirement, George was an office volunteer with Empowering Lives International, in Upland, Calif., and was member of the Ontario Reign Booster Club. He previously volunteered with the California Philharmonic Orchestra Festival on the Green and was one of the original volunteers with the Friends of the Lewis Playhouse at Rancho Cucamonga's Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. He had a passion for classical music and was a member of the Friends of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and its "Office Orchestra" volunteer program.

He has been a sponsoring supporter of Chino High School 77th Cavalry Marching band for ten years. He was an avid sports fan, especially of the Angels and youth baseball, the LA Kings, Ontario Reign hockey and USC football.

George married Barbara Martha Irwin on Aug. 31, 1958 in Frankfort. She died in 1984.

He is survived by a son, Timothy Irwin Collier, of Upland, Calif.; a daughter-in-law, Krista Collier, of Upland, Calif.; two daughters, Kimberly Ann Collier-Endress, of Chino, Calif., and Jennifer Lorinda Medina, of Alta Loma, Calif.; two sons-in-law, Lea Endress, of Chino, Calif., and Michael Medina, of Alta Loma, Calif.; and six grandchildren, Erik and Adam Endress, Jacob and Jillian Medina, and Joshua and Kelsey Clark-Collier. Also a sister, Norma Ward, of Attica, and a brother, Keith Collier, of Avon, survive. A younger brother, John, died in 2005.

George's favorite things were his family, grandkids, sailing and the ocean, classical music and symphony orchestras, baseball, ice hockey, America's Cup, the Indy 500, drumlins and field show bands.

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