Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Ann Collier, United States Army (Retired)

September 1 1953 – January 4 2026

Liz passed peacefully in her sleep on the morning of January 4, 2026. Though she had been terminally ill with stage-four lung cancer and lymphedema affecting three extremities, Liz endured her final three and a half years—especially the last year—with extraordinary courage and grace. Quite simply, throughout this time she was an inspiration to her family and friends through her unwavering positivity and faithful witness for God. She often said that she knew where she was going. Other than God—and perhaps because of her beauty and steadfast attitude—few truly understood what she was enduring. God knew it was time, and so when Liz went to sleep on January 3, she awoke in Heaven on January 4.

Elizabeth Ann Collier was born at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up a proud "military brat," as her father, a career Army officer, served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. When Lieutenant Colonel Elder deployed to Vietnam, the family relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Liz later graduated from the University of New Mexico. She was a proud Lobo.

Liz always approached education with so much determination that after completing her junior year of high school, she applied to the University of New Mexico and simply based on her grades and test scores, she was accepted without a High School diploma. Liz went on to complete several degrees in her career, still without a High School Diploma. It was the lack of a High School Diploma that dogged her Commissioned Officer status within the U.S. Army Records Section files. Finally, after completing Advanced Diplomas years before, she tested for a G.E.D. to finally settle Official Records Issues with the Army. A strange sequence of educational level diplomas and accomplishments continues to this day. Liz was a trailblazer.

Liz first enlisted in the United States Army in 1973, entering service as an Air Traffic Control specialist. Her early assignments included duty at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, and Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 1974, she was honorably discharged to pursue higher education.

Following completion of her undergraduate degree, Elizabeth returned to the Army in 1978, accepting a commission as an officer. She transitioned into the intelligence field, where she would spend the majority of her distinguished military career.

Elizabeth served with the 11th Engineer Battalion at Fort Belvoir and later completed advanced professional education through the Defense Intelligence School and the Post-Graduate Intelligence Curriculum. She was subsequently assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she served at the Pentagon as the DIA Representative to Operations Team Two, contributing to high-level strategic and operational intelligence missions.

In June 1982, she assumed command of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 201st Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Gordon, Georgia. As a commander, she was recognized for her professionalism, operational rigor, and deep sense of responsibility for the soldiers entrusted to her care.

Her career included three one-year overseas tours of service in the Republic of Korea, where she supported joint and combined operations through assignments with the National Military Command Center and Joint Staff J-2 Exercise Support. These roles placed her at the center of multinational coordination and joint intelligence planning during a critical period of regional security operations.

Elizabeth's final assignments brought her back to the Pentagon and Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where she concluded her active service. She retired from the United States Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, leaving behind a record of service marked by integrity, competence, and quiet strength.

Her military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (three awards); the Meritorious Service Medal (five awards); the Joint Meritorious Service Award (two awards); and the National Defense Service Medal (two awards), among others recognizing her sustained excellence and dedication to duty. The Defense Superior Service Medal is the third-highest U.S. military award awarded in peacetime.

While serving as a Lieutenant Colonel at the Pentagon on the Joint Intelligence Staff, Liz met Lieutenant Colonel Steve Collier, who was also assigned to the Joint Staff Interoperability Office. When Steve first saw Liz walk into the office, his immediate thought was simply, "Whoa."

Steve and Liz married in 1998, retired from the Army in 2000 and 2001, and moved to Florida near Steve's family in Tampa. They settled in a beautiful golf community just north of Tampa called Lake Jovita. There, they started a successful small business together, and Liz learned to play golf—saying she had no intention of becoming a "golf widow." In the years that followed, Liz recorded four hole-in-ones and served as president of the Lake Jovita Women's Golf League for three years. Liz and Steve also loved worshiping God at BayHope Church in Land O' Lakes.

Beginning in 2012, Steve and Liz embarked on a travel odyssey that took them to all five oceans, all seven continents, and 82 countries. Liz loved to travel and was already planning her packing strategy for a trip to Poland scheduled five months ahead when she passed. She often remarked that while traveling, they never passed a church, cathedral, basilica, synagogue, or mosque without going inside. To Liz, they were all houses of God—places to thank Him for the privilege of worshiping there.

Those who knew Liz remember her for her warmth, thoughtfulness, and her rare ability to make others feel truly seen and valued. She gave generously of herself, offering kindness without expectation and love without condition. Her presence brought comfort, steadiness, and grace to all who were blessed to know her.

She leaves behind her devoted husband, Steve, who loved her completely; her brother, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Richard Elder (Retired) and his wife Celest; her sister, Patricia Garcia and her husband Ron. And her beloved mother, Mary Elizabeth Elder, age 100.

Liz now rests in the presence of her Savior, whole and free, leaving behind a legacy of faith, love, and quiet strength that will endure in the hearts of all who knew her. She lived with grace, served with honor, and loved deeply. She fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and has now received the peace she so steadfastly believed in.

Steve thanks God knowing that the woman he loved so completely is now home, whole, and at peace, and that one day they will be together again.