Gilbert R Collie Jr.

Gilbert Ralph Collie, Jr., affectionately known as" Little Boy "and" Pop", was born on November 14, 1949 in Bridgeville, Delaware and departed this life on March 3, 2016 at the Delaware Hospice Center in Milford, Delaware. He was the son of the late Elise Gray Collie-Polk and the late Vernon Gilbert Collie. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandmother, Viano Davis; great-grandmother, Annie Solomon; grandfathers, Ed Gray and Phillip Davis and step-father, George Francis Polk . Gilbert graduated from the former Bridgeville High School in 1967 and from his teen years worked as a mechanic at the Harry C. Banning Service Station in Bridgeville. He was a member of the United States Army, proudly serving his country during the Vietnam era from October 31, 1969 to June 16 , 1971. Following his years of service and tour of duty, he worked as a long distance truck driver for Pet Poultry Products in Bridgeville and Penco Company in Seaford. He retired due to illness. His hobbies included restoring, rebuilding and racing stock cars. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time at the race track in Delmar with his friends and socializing with many of his friends in the yard of his home on Church Street. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, hunting and capturing the attention of his devoted nephews by telling war stories and sharing his military experiences. " Little Boy" loved to photograph family and friends at social events. He will be remembered as a very generous and conscientious man who was dedicated to helping many in need throughout his life. He would go above and beyond to ensure the happiness of his loved ones. From his birth, he was pinned the nickname of "Little Boy "as his mother was ecstatic to have brought a baby boy into the world following the birth of two girls. That nick name remained with him from the very beginning of his life to the very end of his life. As "Little Boy "transitioned from this life to the next, we relived those childhood memories of that little boy of his youth to the final moments of his life as the "Little Boy" of his adulthood. His family is forever grateful to God for the life of Gilbert Ralph “Little Boy" Collie. He will be truly missed by all who knew and loved him . He leaves his family a legacy of love as they cherish his memory; two daughters, Chantel Collie of Dover, Delaware from the union of his marriage to the former Carolyn Dickerson and daughter, Vonetta Batson of Cambridge, Maryland; five grandchildren, Afton Collie, Kyien Collie, Chasten Young, Cullen Young of Dover, Delaware and Jayden Cornish of Cambridge, Maryland; one great-granddaughter, A' Kashia Marie Collie of Dover, Delaware; six sisters of Delaware, Jacqueline Goodwin (Melvin) of Bridgeville, Carolyn Grant (Claudius) of Bridgeville, Karen Gibbs (Charles) of Bridgeville, Deborah Peacock (Frank) of Seaford, Kimberly Johnson (Raymond) of Lincoln and Lisa Sylvain of Dover; two sisters of Nassau, Bahamas, Joan Neely (Perry) and Francita Deveaux (Ivan); one brother, Vernon Collie of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; one uncle, Ed Gray of Benton Harbor, Michigan; one god-son, Hollis Smack, Jr. of New Castle, Delaware; special friends, Gary Crockett, Charlie Roach and Clifton Anderson all of Bridgeville, Delaware; and a multitude of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gilbert R Collie Jr., please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Gilbert R Collie Jr.

November 14, 1949 - March 3, 2016