WESTMINSTER, Vt. – Paul Edward Collier, 68, of Westminster, Vt., passed away at home, surrounded by loved ones, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s.
Born on March 28, 1958, in New Haven, Conn., to parents Donald “Pete” Collier and Edith (Boyles) Collier, Paul was raised in Seymour, Conn., and attended Emmett O’Brien Regional Vocational Technical High School, graduating in 1976 with a focus on carpentry.
In 1981, Paul relocated to Westminster, Vt., where he worked at both Springfield Fence Co. and as an EMT at LeFevre Ambulance. He then jumpstarted his career with employment at Fellows Gear Shaper, where he discovered his love of machine tool sharpening. He later became the owner of The Cutter Shop in Springfield, Vt., where he not only ground a variety of different tools, but also worked with Burton Snowboards designing tooling used to make a prototype for the first models of Burton snowboards. He was also proud to have both designed and created an intricate part for the International Space Station that is currently still in use. He was incredibly reliable, skilled, and knowledgeable; the talent he brought to his skilled craft was unmatched.
In 1989, he married Debra (Perry) Collier in Bellows Fall, Vt., sharing 37 years of marriage.
He was known for having a deep love of building and flying model airplanes, snowmobiling, riding his motorcycle, long bicycle rides, completing both sudoku and jigsaw puzzles, carpentry and fixing anything and everything that was broken, camping with family in the summer, remodeling his home (except the kitchen), and refurbishing old tractors.
Paul is preceded in death by his father, Donald “Pete” Collier, father in-law, William “Bill” Perry Sr., and brother-in-law William R. Perry Jr.
He will be deeply missed by his surviving family, including his wife, Debra (Perry) Collier; his three children: two sons, Thomas Collier and Christopher Dryden, and daughter, Jennifer (Collier) Washburn and her husband Phillip Washburn; his two grandsons, Adam and Ethan Collier; his three granddaughters, Mia, Brooke, and Kaylee Washburn; his mother, Edith (Boyles) Collier; his mother-in-law, Alice (Trombley) Perry; as well as three siblings, Beth and Ron Schmecker, Donald and Kathy Collier, and Deborah and Mark Vinsen.
Calling hours will be Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 4-6 p.m., at Fenton and Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls, Vt.
A funeral will be held Thursday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m., at the First Congregational Church of Westminster, 3470 U.S. Route 5, Westminster, Vt. Service will be followed by burial at Westminster New Cemetery and a celebration of life at the First Congregational Church of Westminster.
Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Westminster Animal Hospital, Attn: Caring Paws Fund, 5052 U.S. Route 5, Westminster, VT 05158.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Fenton and Hennessey Funeral Home, 55 Westminster Street, Bellows Falls, Vt.