Mary Elizabeth (Libby) Collier died at her home in Hackett, Arkansas on January 9, 2023 at the age of 100. She was born January 15, 1922 in Erwin, Tennessee, the daughter of Jeter Edward Wardrep, Sr. and Ada Kate (Ramsey) Wardrep. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Burns Collier.
She has a son, William Steven Collier of Hackett, Arkansas; daughter, Elizabeth Ann Collier of Little Elm, Texas; three grandsons, Michael Burns Collier of Austin, Texas, Brian David Collier of Austin, Texas and Gregory Alva Collier of Austin, Texas and four great grand-children all of Austin, Texas. She had a brother and two sisters, all deceased, Jeter Edward Wardrep, Jr., formerly of Knoxville, Tennessee, Doris Ramsey Swafford formerly of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Jean Davis formerly of Kingston, Tennessee.
Libby grew up in Jefferson City, Tennessee and graduated in voice music from Carson-Newman College.
In 1947 she completed a Masters Degree in nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing of Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) in Cleveland, Ohio. She was part of the US Cadet Nursing Corps. It was there that she met her husband William (Bill) Burns Collier. Soon after graduation, they were married and lived in Akron, Ohio, where Bill worked for the B. F. Goodrich company. They raised their family there. After retirement, in 1986, they moved to a family farm in Hackett. They celebrated 63 years together.
She was a pioneer at heart, always wanting to be outdoors enjoying gardens, trees, birds, sunrises and sunsets. She was eager for more fun and to share her love. She greeted everyone with a cheerful “hello, I'm Libby.” She was always caring for others, and will be greatly missed.
A family is like a garden. Each person plants some seeds. Many nurture. Looking back, there are many beautiful flowers and a few weeds. Now we have become the gardeners.
We appreciate all of you that have been part of our lives.
A family memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Cremation is under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com.
