BOMBER MEMORIAL

JIMMIE DALE "JIM" COLLINGS ~ Class of 1962
August 14, 1944 - May 21, 2015



Jim was born August 14, 1944, in Wheaton, MO to Virgil "Rip" and Dorothy "Dottie" Fossard Collings.



He passed away at the age of 70 on May 21, 2015, at his home in Lone Tree, CO after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jim was raised on a farm outside Wheaton until the age of four.



In 1948 his father accepted a job as a guard working for General Electric at The Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Jim, his mother and sister (Shirley) traveled by train to join Virgil in Richland when Shirley was six weeks old. As his dad was transferred within the Guard Union, the family moved to several locations (Klamath Falls, OR; Mercury, NV; Ipava, IL and Mulvane, KS; Barb was born in Richland in 1953) until Jim was in the 5th grade in 1955 when they moved back to Richland permanently.

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Jim attended elementary school in Ipava, IL and Mulvane, KS before finishing 5th grade at three different Richland schools: Jefferson, Jason Lee and Spalding. He attended 6th grade at Spalding. Jim was at Chief Joseph Junior High School for grades 7-9.



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Fishing was a passion and many trips to O'Sullivan catching crappie were enjoyed with his family as well as fishing for bass on the Columbia River and for trout at the Potholes.

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Jim graduated from Richland's Columbia High School with the class of 1962. He attended Columbia Basin College earning an Associate's Degree in Computer Sciences in 1965. This was the second class to graduate from CBC in Computer Sciences.

He attended the Richland Baptist Church and played on the church's basketball team for several years.

Jim married Jan Lawson ('64) in 1965 and they moved to Boise, ID after Jim accepted a job with Boise Cascade. Their daughter, Jamie, was born in Boise in 1966. He and Jan were later divorced.

He programmed and managed information systems for his entire career. Following Boise Cascade, he worked for Princess Cruises and Wells Fargo Bank. He also was employed at a diamond mine in Colombia, South America where he met his wife, Belinda. They returned to the states and were married in 1984. Their daughter, Adriana, was born in 1994. They were later divorced. At one time, Jim also owned his own company which provided contract programmers in the Denver area.

Jim was a loving father, grandfather, brother and son; and his happiest times were spent with his family. The BBQ came on whenever family or friends showed up at his home. A wonderful man with a positive outlook on where he was headed even if it was back to the grocery store for the 3rd time during dinner preparations because the guests wanted to add to the menu.

We will forever miss the laughter and love he showered upon us.

Jim is preceded in death by his mother on November 23, 2003; his dad on February 16, 2011; and by his step-brother, Alan Collings.

He is survived by his daughters, Dr. Jamie Collings (Dr. Mark Kling) and Adriana Collings; grandsons, Keaton and Kameron; his sisters, Shirley Collings Haskins ('66) (Dennis ('66)) and Barbara Collings ('71); step-mother, Wilma Collings; step-brother Bruce Collings; nephew, Dustin Collings; nieces, Lindsay Haskins Gailey (Brad) and Kelly Haskins Retter (Jared); great nephews, Wyatt, William and Patrick.



Per his request, he was cremated and there were no services. Please consider making a donation in Jim's name to www.cancer.org.

Published in the Tri-City Herald from June 2 to June 3, 2015.

"For the Class of 1962, Jim enjoyed the 50 year class reunion and seeing all of you again".

Guest Book online permanently.

Bomber Memorial put together by Maren SMYTH ('63 & '64) and edited by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).