Stephen Michael Collier

Stephen Michael Collier, age 28 passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday February 9, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. His passion for learning, dedication to family and friends, and his truly pure heart and soul made him a one-of-a-kind individual that will be deeply missed. Stephen is survived by his parents Jim (Emily) Collier and Marci Spiker (Keith Rhodes), his brother Brandon Collier, sister Audrey Collier, step-brother Kyle (Jenny) Rhodes and his partner, Ally Petta, along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He is also survived by his faithful feline companions- Lincoln and Roo.

Stephen graduated high school from Walled Lake Northern and went on to earn a degree in International Business and Management at Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, Steve was granted the opportunity to study abroad in London where he enrolled directly in a London University. He frequently reminisced about how the experience challenged his desire to learn and taught him how to adapt to an entirely different culture and landscape. Upon graduation, he began his career at Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin where he managed projects and implemented electronic health record software at major healthcare organizations all over the country.

Stephen was an avid learner of all things. He enjoyed music, reading, playing soccer, target shooting, playing his drums, skiing, traveling, cooking and movies. His appetite to learn new trades and skills was insatiable. It was not uncommon to wake up on any given Saturday and find him entrenched in a new goal such as conquering a foreign language, mastering computer coding, or learning how to whittle or draw. He was constantly dazzling and surprising us.

He had a great sense of humor with a contagiously beautiful smile. Stephen deeply loved his family and friends and always made sure they were cared for and happy. His unapologetically quirky personality was the exact ingredient that sealed such a loving relationship he shared with his partner Ally; his obsession with perfectly ironed shirts, the trove of random facts he could recite on command, his perfect recitation of the 13thWarrior, and the Russian accent he used to impersonate his Russian Blue cat are only a few examples of what made him so undeniably charming.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at the Highland Chapel of the Elton Black and Son Funeral Home, 3295 East Highland Rd., Highland, Michigan 48356. The family will receive visitors before and after the service from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Memorial donations may be made to curesearch.org in memory of Stephen.