Willard "Gene" Collier was born September 2nd 1933 to Dewey and Sarah (Etchison) Collier in Paragon, IN and passed away July 12th, 2022 in Hendricks Regional Hospital. Gene attended Stilesville High School graduating in 1951. He was active in sports, especially basketball where the team went on to be the county champs in 1950. He was a member of the Stilesville Christian Church. He joined the US Army Air Corps as a member of the Signal Corps. He spent 1 year in Germany. He returned home to work for the family business, Collier Sawmill and he established his own company, Collier Excavating. He work for the Hendricks Co. Sheriff's Department for 47 yrs. He also broke ground on Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1958. After the track opened in 1960, he worked and wore alot of hats until 2017. Always involved in the community, you would find him with his cup of coffee that he loved to share with his friends or anyone who would sit with him.

Gene is survived by his children, Jeanann (Darrell) Knoy, Dean (Rita Gabra-Collier) Collier; brother, Earl Collier; grandchildren, Cara (Dalton) Harbison, Alyssa Carter, Charles Jordon Collier, Kevin M. Collier, Catherine McIntyre; and other family. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Donnie, Mike, & Robert Collier

Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 19th at Bousley Funeral Home from 4 PM to 8 PM. Service will be held Wednesday, July 20th at Bousley Funeral Home at 12 PM. Burial will follow at Stilesville Cemetery.