In loving memory of Patricia Josephine Collier | 1936 — 2025

Patricia Josephine Collier was born June 30, 1936, and raised in Gilby, North Dakota.

Pat died peacefully December 24, 2025, on Maury Island in Vashon, Washington. She is survived by her brother, Jack T. and wife Sandy, her son, E. D. Collier, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and their families.

Pat’s childhood was graced with a loving family. Her parents, John and Mary, created a life built on a foundation of curiosity and exploration through many camping, fishing and hiking adventures that continued all through their lives.

Her love of learning, formed in childhood, naturally led her to pursue a teaching degree at Macalester College. Pat was a lifelong teacher and educator, first in North Dakota before moving to Seattle in 1962 to begin her career with the Seattle School District where she worked in elementary education as a teacher, a librarian and principal.

She earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Washington in 1968, and later obtained a Master’s in Education Administration from Seattle University in 1980. She retired in 1992 but continued a life of exploration, education and conservation.

Pat was a true advocate and staunch defender of education, science and our impact as part of a much greater community on earth. She was an avid hiker, kayaker and explorer, spending summers as a fire lookout near Mt. Rainier, studying ancient fish traps with EarthCorps in Alaska, capturing and cataloging Orcas in the San Juans, or taking a solo kayak adventure on the Yukon River.

From her home on Maury Island, Pat took a keen interest in the ecology of our shorelines, volunteering for People for Puget Sound as a citizen scientist and offering up her bulkhead for a shoreline restoration project. As the battle against the Glacier Mine heated up, she put her library degree to work doing research for Preserve Our Islands — an effort that culminated in the purchase of the mine and protections for a mile of beautiful beach.

Pat was constantly at work on her own property as well, purchasing native plants through the Vashon Land Trust’s bare-root sale and tending to them with love. Pat leaves this earth, but the impact of her curiosity, courage, and generosity will live on in the place she cherished and in the hearts of all who loved her.

Rest in peace.

A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at the Vashon Island Land Trust on Sunday, March 1st from 2 to 5 p.m.