Former Planning Commissioner Joe Collier Has Died

San Leandro resident Joe Collier, a meat salesman who was active in youth sports, civic affairs and the city planning commission, died Sunday, January 6, at age 83.

An Air Force veteran who saw service during the Korean War, Collier was a member and former president of the Floresta Homeowner's Association among many other civic activities.

In the course of raising two children, he was active in all manner of youth sports, including the Babe Ruth and Floresta Baseball Leagues. For more than 30 years he was the scorekeeper for home games of San Leandro High's Pirates football team.

Collier served for 18 years on the San Leandro Planning Commission, including three years as chairman, and was on the Zoning Code Revision Commission.

Professionally, he was a meat salesman, representing producers to restaurants and other volume purchasers. He was a member of Teamsters Union, Local 70, and two locals of the Butchers Union, 120 and 85.

After his retirement in 1993, Collier worked for many years for Faria Brothers Hardware until it closed.

He and wife, Sylvia, had two children, Joe and Linda, and eight grandchildren, all born in San Leandro, and 11 great grandchildren.

After Sylvia died in 2004, Collier had a second romance with the former Esther Holcomb, now Collier, whose husband, Sam, had died in 2003. 

The two had known each other since 1982 through many common civic and school activities, Esther said, and on July 29, 2006, they wed.

"We had six-and-a-half years of married bliss," she said.

Esther said Joe passed suddenly. They had stayed up on New Year's Eve to watch a movie and let midnight pass, intending to wake the next day for a family gathering. "I couldn't get him out of bed," Esther said.

Joe had suffered a stroke during the night and his descent from there was rapid and inexorable, until he passed at 12:25 am on January 6.

A memorial service will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, January 19, at Hilltop Community Church near the Hilltop Road exit on Interstate 80. His remains will be cremated.

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