Richard Edgar McCollum

Richard “Mac” McCollum was born at home in Greenback , Tennessee, to Tennie and Herman Cecil McCollum February 1945. He lived in Greenback until he graduated high school and attended Auto Diesel school in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating, Richard enlisted in the US Air Force. After basic training and instructing air craft maintenance, Richard took a drive in his car that would change his life forever. While both sitting in their respective cars, Evette Ziegenhorn waved hello to her future husband, Richard McCollum and the rest was history. Richard was never far from a wrench or a screw driver. He loved to repair cars, houses small appliances and anything that “just wasn’t running right”. He passed on his skills to his two “DIY” daughters, Michelle Gagliano, Tracy Merrell, his son in law, Scott Merrell, and 3 his grandkids. Richard and his family resided in Illinois, South Carolina, Germany and Florida.

After retiring in Florida, Richard spent his days working various retirement jobs. One he especially enjoyed was with Whitney bank performing small maintenance tasks and running the mail cart. Richard loved his church family at Central Baptist Church which we was a member for                   

30 years. Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1998 but he never let it stop his love of automotive restoration. He finished his beloved 1931 Chevrolet in 2015. Richard passed away on April 15, 2018 at Ft Walton Bch Medical Center from complication of a heart attack. He will be missed by his family, friends and the community he served. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Thursday, April 19th at Central Baptist Church. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to the service. Internment will take place at Beal Memorial Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Central Baptist Church and the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard Edgar McCollum, please visit our floral store.