Born August 7, 1918 at Martha, Oklahoma, to John Christopher and Mary Jane Collier. Bert was preceded in death by his mother and father and one sister, Johnnie Hay Gooden.
He is survived by his wife, Jean Collier of the home, one son, Ron Tollison and wife, Darlene, of Shamrock; one daughter, Pat Crowell and husband, Don, of Memphis, Tennessee, two grandsons, Robert Crowell of New York, and David Crowell of Boston, one great-granddaughter, McKinnley Tollison of Shamrock whom Bert adored and McKinnley loves Bert, two great-nephews, John Ray and wife, Patti, of Altus, Oklahoma and Dorman Collier and wife, Jannelle, of Strathmore, California, and his very true friend, Bobby Hunter of Gunter, Texas who was Bert’s WWII buddy and friend of 67 years.
Bert joined the Army in 1939. He was at Pearl Harbor that fateful day. After three years in Hawaii, he came back to the states, attended O.C.S. and became a Paratrooper withe the 501PIR of the 101st Screaming Eagles Airborne. He jumped into Normandy D-Day, June 6, 1944. He jumped into Holland September 17, 1944, in the battle of the Bulge in Bastogne. He was a Platoon Leader, 1st Lieutenant after his honorable discharge in 1945. He started college and graduated from O.U. in 1951, with a degree in geology, where he was employed in the oil business. After years of that employment, he went to work in Civil Service at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He retired in 1980 and traveled all over the United States and over seas until 2009.
While in the Army, he earned and received many medals including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, two French Croix De Guerre with Palm, Netherlands Orange Lanyard, Belgium Fourragere with Palm, Jump Wings with two stars for two combat jumps, ETO Ribbon with four stars and two arrowheads for leading two invasions, Presidential Unit Citation with Oak leaf cluster, Eurpoean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with four Bronze Service stars and one Bronze arrowhead and many bars, stripes, ribbons and patches.
Bert was the kindest and most sincere man that you could have ever met. He never said an un-kind word about anyone or to anyone. He was a true gentleman in every way and he showed it in the way he treated his fellow man. He was a friend to everyone, and possessed not one hard feeling nor a selfish bone in his body. Persons like Bert are very rare, and he will always be remembered as a man who was always willing and ready to help anyone. Bert was a small man in stature but a giant in his trust and giving. He is truly irreplaceable and will definitely be missed. He was such a loving human being. He once said “I’d like to be remembered as a good, honest man who didn’t do too much harm to my family, friends, and fellow man.” He made his last jump to be with his mother, dad, and sister, but we will join him again in God’s Heavenly place.
