The Honorable Judge Robert “Bob” A. Collier Jr. passed away on September 8, 2024, after a period of declining health. Born in Statesville, N.C., on January 13, 1931, he was the son of the late Robert A. Collier Sr. and Margaret Adams Collier.

Bob attended Baylor Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tenn., Statesville Senior High School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1951, while in college, he joined the United States Air Force, serving as a Special Agent in the Office of Special Investigations before he was honorably discharged in 1954. The highlight of his time at Carolina came when he met the love of his life, Barbara Stone. College friends lovingly called Barbara “Stone” and Bob “Rock.”

They were married on September 4, 1955. After graduating in 1956 with a Liberal Arts degree, Bob returned to the University of North Carolina School of Law and graduated in 1959 with his Juris Doctorate.

Bob was admitted to the bar that same year and joined his father’s law practice, Collier, Harris and Collier, in Statesville. In 1965, Bob was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives.

After practicing law for nine years, in 1968 he was appointed by Gov. Dan Moore to the position of Senior Resident Judge of the Superior Court for the 22nd Judicial District, which at the time encompassed Alexander, Davidson, Davie, and Iredell counties. He retired in 1988 after 20 years of service. During this time, he served as president of the Conference of Superior Court Judges of North Carolina, vice president of the North Carolina Bar Association, and chairman of the North Carolina Center on Crime and Punishment. He was awarded Outstanding Trial Judge by the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers in 1979 and 1988.

Bob had many circles of friends in Statesville, Blowing Rock, Chapel Hill, and Wrightsville Beach. He was proud of his Scottish heritage and was a past president and active member of the St. Andrews Society of North Carolina and the Royal Order of Scotland. He also served as a director of the Loch Norman Highland Games and enjoyed the opportunity to dress authentically in his kilt as an annual attendee of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Bob enjoyed sponsoring and attending the annual Blowing Rock Charity Horseshow, where he relished sharing his special homemade Bloody Mary recipe with friends. He held many positions in support of his Chapel Hill alma mater, including Chairman of the Morehead Scholarship Selection Committee, director of the UNC Law School Alumni Association, member of the Board of Visitors, and member of the Undergraduate Admissions Committee. Bob was honored for his service to the University with the Order of the Old Well. A member of the Beta Chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at UNC, he treasured the friendship of his fraternity brothers during his lifetime. He remained a staunch supporter of the Tar Heels throughout his life and enjoyed attending football games in Kenan Stadium and basketball games at the Dean Dome with his lifelong friend, law partner, and fellow alumnus T.C. Homesley. Bob took joy in the fact that his love for Carolina was passed down to his children and grandchildren.

During his career, Bob was chairman of the North Carolina Board of Transportation, trustee of the Richard J. Reynolds III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation, a Life Member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board in Statesville, N.C., a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, and president of Blowing Rock Country Club. Bob was ultimately honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his service to the State of North Carolina.

Bob was a lifelong member of Broad Street United Methodist Church in Statesville and a member of Blowing Rock United Methodist Church in Blowing Rock, N.C. Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Barbara Stone Collier; son, Christopher McLauchlin Collier; and sister, Martha Collier Scruggs (Sissy), and her husband Tom. He leaves behind to cherish his memory sons, Robert Alvis Collier III (Robb), and wife Julia Wilson, and James Buford Collier (Burr); daughters, Paige Collier Wiseman, and husband Frank, Anne Randall Collier Hollifield, and husband Kevin, Elizabeth Stone Collier Pendleton, and husband Sterling; grandchildren, Robert Alvis Collier IV (Rock), Bristol Marie Collier, William McLauchlin Wiseman (Will), and wife Jessica, Robert Collier Wiseman, Randall Downing Wiseman, Lauren Hollifield Beach, and husband Lemuel, Mary Kate Hollifield, Abigal Ross Hollifield (Abbey), Lauchlin Cabot Pendleton (Lauch), and Stone Montgomery Pendleton; great-grandchildren, Parker Nora Carty, Collier Lloyd Carty (Buck), Lennox Kate Beach, Leela Ross Beach, Boessell Downing Wiseman (Boes), and James McLauchlin Wiseman (Mac); nieces and nephews; and his sweet dog Daisy. Bob was blessed to be at home and cared for with love by his children and special caregivers Monique, Andrea, Kenda, Tammy, Penny, Mindy, Noemi, and Ky. Always included in Bob’s blessings at family dinners, “God bless our loved ones, wherever they may be.”

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 2 p.m. at Broad Street United Methodist Church, 315 W. Broad Street, Statesville, N.C., with a reception to follow. The service will be live streamed at www.broadstreetumc.org.

In lieu of flowers, the Collier family requests contributions to the Chris Collier Scholarship Fund at the Boys and Girls Club of the Piedmont, 1001 Cochran Street, Statesville, NC 28677; Blowing Rock Charity Horseshow Foundation, PO Box 650, Blowing Rock, NC 28605; Broad Street United Methodist Church, PO Box 169, Statesville, NC 28677; or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Troutman Funeral Home is serving the family.