Raymond Colin ‘Cutter’ Collard | 81 | Rockport
Raymond Colin “Cutter” Collard of rural Rockport, IL passed away on Jan. 10, 2022 after an extended fight against COVID-19. The family is devastated by the loss of this beloved man.Cutter was born at home on June 16, 1940 near Spring Lake in the Pleasant Hill bottoms to Raymond and Ethel Collard. After the loss of their first son, Cutter immediately filled his family with joy. Cutter was blessed in having uncles and aunts close to his age to grow up with since he was an only child.
He attended grade school at Tollgate (near Detroit) and Prairie Mound School in the Pleasant Hill bottoms. He graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in 1958. He excelled in academics, track and football. His favorite school story was the final football game of his senior year. Calhoun (undefeated) against Pleasant Hill Wolves (who hadn’t won a game all season.) The Wolves beat the No. 1 seeded team, the Calhoun Warriors, 6-0. After graduation, Cutter attended WIU in Macomb, IL and then moved to the Quad Cities to take a job with Illinois Gas & Electric Company where he worked until retirement in 1995.
Cutter enjoyed playing and listening to music, especially the blues. He played several instruments but the soulful harmonica was his favorite. He played music with other musicians at the Pleasant Hill First Baptist Church and later at the New Hartford Christian Church.
He was a gentle soul and a good listener. Cutter was a family historian and would regale the relatives with funny and sometimes not so funny tales of his clan. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, gardening and YouTube watching. He loved sharing his findings with friends, young and old, at the Atlas Café and other places in Pleasant Hill. He hosted ice-cream socials at his home and loved to gather with his Collard clan and cousins from Iowa.
After his retirement, Cutter bought a farm near El Dara. He purchased a saw mill and began cutting and plaining wood to restore the two-story farm house on the property. After restoration, he lived in this home until his death. He loved nature and learned all about local trees. This past year he visited his Uncle Bob’s farm and walked the area where he and his Uncle Bob had planted 300 walnut trees years before. It was a proud moment.
Cutter was preceded in death by his brother, Harvey Ray Collard, his father John Raymond Collard and his mother Ethel Collard. He is survived by a large number of cousins.
Cremation is being accorded. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at 10 a.m. at the Lummis Funeral Home in Pleasant Hill.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
