William Thomas McCollum, Jr. Obituary (1925 - 2017)

MADISON - William Thomas McCollum, Jr. was born May 17, 1925, in the Bethany community. He passed away Monday, October 30, 2017, with his family by his side. The family will receive friends from 7 until 9 pm, Wednesday, November 1, 2017, at Colonial Funeral Home, and other times at the residence. Funeral services will be held at 2 pm on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at Ellisboro Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Woodland Cemetery with military rites provided by Rockingham County Honor Guard and North Carolina National Guard and Masonic rites by Dan River Lodge 129. After graduating from Bethany High School, he was drafted into the armed forces serving in the US Army with the 102nd Infantry Division in Europe and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After being discharged from the US Army, Thomas was a self-employed merchant in Madison and was a past president of the Madison Merchant Association. Closing his business in 1972, he went to work for the North Carolina Department of Transportation in Wentworth, retiring in 1989. Thomas was a member of Ellisboro Baptist Church, retired from the Madison Fire Department and from the Madison Rescue Squad. He was a life member of the following: The American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Forty and Eight, and 102nd Infantryman's Association. He was a charter member of the National Past Chef de Gare Club. He was also a member of the following: The National Box Car Association, Dan River Lodge 129, Scotish Rite of Valley of Greensboro, Oasis Shrine Temple, State Employees Association of North Carolina, retired Government Employees Association, charter member of World War II Memorial Society in Washington, DC, NC Association of Rescue Squads, Combat Airmen-Joshua's Troops, charter member of National Museum of the US Army & The National World War II Museum. Thomas is survived by his wife of 70 years, Marian Tucker McCollum; sons, Tommy McCollum, Danny McCollum and wife Cheryl, of Madison, NC and Michael McCollum & wife, Theresa, of Florence, SC; grandsons, Dusty McCollum, and wife Lori, of Chesapeake, VA and Benjamin McCollum and wife Katie, of Lexington, SC; granddaughters, Tricia Moore, of Kernersville, NC and Christy Knight, of Madison, NC; great-grandsons, Gavin McCollum, of Chesapeake, VA, George, Jr., Zach and Josh Knight, of Madison, NC; great-granddaughters, Emma Thomerson, of Kernersville, NC, Rachel McCollum, of Chesapeake, VA, and Emmalyn and Margaret Anne McCollum, of Lexington, SC; brother, Donald McCollum and wife Mary Ann, of Winston-Salem, NC., sister-in-law, Jean Tucker, of Madison, NC; special friend of the family, Brenda Ward, of Madison, NC. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Thomas McCollum, Sr. and Virginia Fuqua McCollum, and brother Daniel Douglas McCollum. Memorials may be made to Ellisboro Baptist Church, 1604 Ellisboro Road, Madison, NC 27025 or to Dan River Lodge 129, PO Box 41, Madison, NC 27025. Special thanks to Moses Cone Hospital, Annie Penn Hospital, Western Rockingham Family Medicine, Countryside Manor, Hospice of Rockingham County, and especially his caregivers, Ashley and Taylor for all the great care he received. Colonial Funeral Home in Madison is serving the family. To contact a local florist, click "RESOURCES" at the top/right of this page and then "LOCAL FLORIST". Condolences may be offered by clicking "SIGN GUEST BOOK" above or below. Please note, condolences will not appear on the Guest Book until an administrator of the website approves the note. Thanks.