David Collier

David L. Collier was born into the loving family of Walter O and Marie L (Nath) Collier on March 17, 1938 in Davenport, Iowa, the third of four children. He was predeceased by siblings James W. Collier, Shirley M. Shore and Robert T. Collier. Dave passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on February 13, 2026 surrounded by his family. 

Dave started dating his future wife, Nadine Latimer, on the first day of their junior year at Davenport High School. They dated for four years before getting married on June 14,1958, just before Dave began his junior year at Iowa State University. While at Iowa State, he received the Chicago Tribune Award for being an outstanding ROTC student. He later was one of two students to be offered flight training but turned it down as he was anxious to start his career. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1960 and accepted a position with The Trane Company in technical sales. Dave began his career with eight months of training in LaCrosse, WI, where he and Nadine became parents. They then moved to El Paso, TX for Dave to complete his six month obligation to the Army at Fort Bliss. Their time there was extended to a year due to the Berlin Crisis, and Dave was honorably discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in 1962. At that time, Dave joined the Trane Company’s office in South Bend, which has been their home ever since. Dave was a top ten salesman in the US for The Trane Company for many years. He later acquired Clover Sheet Metal and continued working until age 79; he absolutely loved both of his jobs.

Dave was an inquisitive, energetic, industrious, optimistic and fun-loving person. He always had a twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and had a mischievous streak. His father was not a risk taker but told Nadine “Dave has a free spirit and his wings should never be clipped.”  Until quite recently, he was very active, taking care of their homes on Colfax and at Eagle Lake. He taught many people to waterski and continued his own famous dock starts as he water skied into his seventies. He liked to read and learn and could fix just about anything. He was a “cradle Episcopalian” and stayed true to that faith his whole life.  He was active in leadership at his church for many years and was also very involved in the community. Among other endeavors, he was on the founding boards of the first Hospice in South Bend and The Center for the Homeless.

Dave and Nadine were married for 67 years. They did everything together and thoroughly enjoyed their lives. They were blessed with three children: Christopher (Margie) and Stephen (Julie) of Granger and Jennifer (Ken) Ali of Glencoe, IL. They were then blessed with nine grandchildren: Chris and Margie’s Lindsey (Ben) Bressler, David (Lauren) Collier and Ben (Shannon) Collier; Steve and Julie’s Melissa (Dylan) Heyvaert, Clay (Anna) Collier and Sarah (Will) Vakalahi; and Jenny and Ken’s Lauren (Evan) Pomerance, Drew and Brennan Ali. Four great-grandchildren also survive. Dave is further survived by his sister-in-law Wanda Jarrin and numerous nieces and nephews.  Dave was a terrific husband, dad, gramps, uncle and friend. He made our lives easier and much more fun. We are grateful to have had him with us for so long and will forever miss him. 

Friends may visit the family Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at Palmer Funeral Home – Hickey Chapel, 17131 Cleveland Road, South Bend, IN 46635. Visitation will also take place Sunday March 8, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, at The Cathedral of St. James, 117 North Lafayette Boulevard South Bend, IN, 46601. The funeral service will follow at 2:00 PM. Family and friends are invited to a reception immediately following the service. David will be laid to rest at St. Joseph Valley Memorial Park, in a private ceremony, at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Dave to The Cathedral of St. James, 117 N. Lafayette Blvd. South Bend, IN 46607 or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 616 Lincolnway E, Mishawaka, IN 46544 or The Center for Hospice Care, 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, IN 46545. 

 For those unable to attend in person, live streaming of the service is available via the Cathedral of Saint James YouTube Channel. 

Palmer Funeral Home – Hickey chapel is assisting the family. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.