Obituary of Earl Collett

Graveside services for Earl W. (Mike) Collett will be held on Friday, August 17, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. at Glen Oaks Memorial Park in Chico. Although his given name was Earl he was always called MIKE. Mike was born in Happy Camp, CA to Frank and Lora Collett on June 19, 1925. He passed away on August 12, 2012, at the age of 87. He spent his boyhood in the Fall River Valley and Pitville in Shasta County. He entered the Navy in 1943 and was discharged in 1946. He served aboard the USS Hilarity YMS as a GM/2 in the South Pacific. In 1958, Mike married Dorothy Hescock in Chico, where they built their home and lived in it for 51 years. They lived a very adventurous and full life. In their early years they water skied, camped, square danced and traveled in their RV. Mike later built a dune buggy from scratch and they spent many happy hours exploring the back roads of the high country. At one point they were members of a hot air balloon group. They traveled the world over, some of Mike's favorite places were the Galapagos Islands, China, and Egypt. He also enjoyed whale petting and fishing for the big ones in the Gulf of Mexico and in recent years fishing for stripers and salmon on the Sacramento River near Grimes. Mike was a retired Line Forman for PG&E and a member of SIRS 63. Mike leaves behind his wife, Dorothy; two daughters from a previous marriage, Sally and Gail; a brother, Cecil, along with numerous nieces and nephews and his beautiful cat Quigley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mike's name to Feather River Hospital Hospice or Butte County Humane Society. A reception will follow the service to be held at Sycamore Glen, 1199 Diablo Ave., 530-894-0384