Howard Collicott

Howard Earl Collicott of Federal Way, WA, passed away Friday, December 12, 2014. Howard was born to Raymond Guy and Myrtle Gertrude (Wiley) Collicott in Elmhurst IL, on June 18, 1929. He was raised in the Chicago area, and lived in Seattle, WA, Ann Arbor, MI, West Lafayette, IN, and Federal Way, WA. He was married to Luella Anna (Anderson) Collicott, previously of Duluth and Hibbing, MN for sixty years. She preceded him in death on November 10, 2014. He had no siblings. He leaves son Steven, of West Lafayette, IN, son Duane of Ann Arbor, MI, and daughter Susan, of Seattle, WA. Son David preceded him in death in 2009. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Sarah and Rachel, daughters of Steven, and William and Benjamin, sons of Duane.
Howard attended Purdue University graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1951 and entered the United States Air Force where he aided in the testing of early jet-powered bombers operating in Alaska. Following an Honorable Discharge in 1953 Howard moved to Seattle, working for the Boeing Company and earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Washington. It was during this first period of life in Seattle that he met and married Luella in 1954. Howard left Boeing to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering back at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in 1961 and move to Syracuse, NY to work with General Electric. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Ann Arbor, MI where Howard worked for the Bendix Space Systems Division. In his two decades with Bendix, he worked on a variety of thermal control problems in aerospace, defense, nuclear power, and automotive products, most notably the Apollo Command Module and the EASEP and ALSEP instruments deployed on the Moon by Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts. In 1984 Howard and Luella returned to life in the Seattle area and Howard returned to work for Boeing.
Howard was a licensed amateur radio operator in seven decades, even building his own equipment in the 1950's. During his mid-western years, he also enjoyed bowling and sailing. He was a life-long baseball fan. Howard was a long-time volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America when living in Michigan. Since the 1990's, Howard and Luella gave generously of their time as volunteers with the McChord Air Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, WA. They loved to travel to and devote attention to their grandchildren.
Visitation will be Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 10am with services at 11am at the Dougherty Funeral Home, 600 E 2nsd St. Duluth, MN (218) 727-3555.