Ira William McCollum

MCCOLLUM, Ira William, 96, passed away on May 3, 2011, in Brooksville, FL.  Born in Bushnell on April 23, 1915, he was one of six children born to John Thomas and Mary Himes McCollum. His father was an attorney and a county judge in Sumter County. His grandfather was a founding member of the Methodist church in Bushnell. Ira earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration (1943) and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture (1947) from the University of Florida. From 1943-1945 he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy in WWII. Married in 1943 to Arline Gray Lockhart, they had one son, Ira William (Bill) McCollum, Jr., former congressman and attorney general of Florida; she died in 1950. He married Alma Beville in 1956, and they celebrated 47 years together prior to her passing in 2003. He and his father-in-law, the late Clyde Lockhart, established and ran Lock-Collum Ranch, a cattle business in eastern Hernando County. In 1953 he was appointed postmaster in Brooksville, a position he held for 27 years until his retirement in 1980. Ira was a member of the Brooksville Rotary Club since 1960; served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board; and was a member of the American Legion, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, and the Retired Military Officers Association.  Ira McCollum is survived by his son Bill (Ingrid); grandsons, Douglas (Zayna), Justin (Patty), Andrew (Kia); great grandchildren Nathan, Stephen, and Abigail McCollum. Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, May 7, at the First United Methodist Church, 109 Broad Street, Brooksville, with visitation noon- 2 p.m. preceding the service.  Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, Bushnell, FL.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the Salvation Army, Hernando County,  P.O. Box 1135, Brooksville, FL  34605.

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