Judge RW "Bill" Collier

Robert William “Bill” Collier, 88, of Taloga, Oklahoma, passed away Sunday, September 27, 2026. Bill was born May 28, 1938, in Taloga to Eddie Samuel Collier and Mary Hermanski Collier. He was the youngest of three children and their only son, growing up with his older sisters, Shirley Collier and Roberta Pauline Collier Fahle. Bill’s family had deep roots in Dewey County. His paternal grandparents were Robert W. “Bob” Collier and Pauline Yung Collier, and Bill spent much of his childhood working on their farm southeast of Taloga. During the school year, he lived with his mother in Taloga and later on a farm south of Lenora. Those years gave him a lifelong connection to agriculture and to the land and people of western Oklahoma. 

Bill graduated from Taloga High School in 1956. On January 15 of that year, he married Rosa Hatchett. They shared more than 70 years of marriage. Their infant daughter, Iranda Lyn Collier, was born January 31, 1959, and died February 14, 1959. Together, Bill and Rosa later raised their sons, Clark William Collier and Brad Weston Collier. After high school, Bill attended Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University, where he studied agriculture. He graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Economics. He then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law, graduating in May 1963. He was admitted to practice law by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in July of that year. 

After law school, Bill returned home to Taloga and opened a private law practice in the Collier law office previously used by his father, Eddie Samuel Collier. Eddie had practiced law in Taloga, served as Dewey County Attorney, and served in the Oklahoma State Senate. Bill later served as Dewey County Attorney before becoming Associate District Judge for Dewey County in January 1969. He served on the bench for 38 years, completing his judicial service in January 2007. During those decades, Bill became a familiar presence in the Dewey County courthouse, serving generations of residents and working alongside generations of attorneys, law-enforcement officers, court employees, and public officials. 

Although law and public service occupied much of his professional life, agriculture remained an important part of Bill’s identity. Beginning in the late 1960s, he continued operating family farmland while pursuing his legal and judicial career. Farming was not simply an interest to him; it was part of the world that had shaped him from childhood. Bill also enjoyed travel, hiking, and the outdoors. His travels included the Soviet Union in 1968, India and Nepal in 1981, East Africa in 1982, and numerous trips throughout the United States. 

His life reflected both a deep attachment to home and a curiosity about the world beyond it. Bill’s family was also closely connected to the preservation of Dewey County history. His mother, Mary Hermanski Collier, created a map of Dewey County that included McGettrick Ford, one of the old crossings of the South Canadian River later remembered in the history surrounding Spanning the River. 

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Eddie Samuel Collier and Mary Hermanski Collier; his sisters, Shirley Collier and Roberta Pauline Collier Fahle; and his infant daughter, Iranda Lyn Collier. 

He is survived by his wife, Rosa Collier; his sons, Clark Collier and partner Jason Jobe and Brad Collier and wife Melissa; his grandchildren, Wes Collier, Mari Welker and husband Keegan, and Nolan Collier; his three great-grandchildren; along with extended family and many friends. 

Bill’s life was shaped by family, agriculture, education, law, public service, travel, and a deep connection to Dewey County. He spent his life rooted in the community that raised him, serving its people and carrying forward a family history that stretched back generations.

In Lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the
Taloga Christian Church
c/o Shaw Funeral Home
P.O. Box 276
Vici, OK 73859.