Arthur Collier III

He was born in Lynn, MA, on September 4. 1943. His parents were Arthur Jr, and Dorothy [Dyer] Collier.

Art is survived by his wife of 52 years, Phyllis (Lehman); his brother, J. Michael Collier and wife Pat, of Glastonbury, CT; brothers in-law and sisters-in-law, Floyd and Chris Lehman, and Tim and Rosellen Lehman of PA; seven nephews and nieces and their families, and five Yankee cousins.

Art graduated from Cornell University, where he was a Dean’s Scholar, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Public Health Service Fellow and a National Defense Education Act Scholar. At UNC he was a PhD candidate and instructor in political science, a research assistant in maternal and child health, and earned a Master of Public Health degree in community health services administration.

He went to Upstate New York in 1976 to lead the Cortland County Health Department, and then a twelve-county family planning program based in Rochester. For eighteen years he was the chief executive officer of the Rochester Primary Care Network (now Mosaic), a private foundation and a consortium of community health centers that grew from three to fifteen practices, serving more than 80,000 patients. He was a consultant with federally-funded health centers, HIV practices, and maternal and child health programs, and was an active participant with local, state, and national professional and civic organizations. He collaborated with hospitals, insurers, governments, and community agencies to address health care and social issues. He retired in 2004 and moved to South Carolina.

In his spare time Art enjoyed travel, tending to Old English Sheepdogs, reading, collecting Seagrove (NC) pottery, and UNC basketball.

Friends and family will remember Art as bright, witty, adventuresome, an entertaining conversationalist, and friend to many. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

Art cared deeply about low income and indigent people receiving quality health and supportive care. If you wish to donate in his memory, please choose an organization or program local to you that represents these ideals.