Rufus James Collier

ALBANY – Rufus James Collier, 80, of Albany passed away peacefully on Tuesday October 2, 2018 at Albany Medical Center. He was born in Concord, GA. and was the son of the late James and Annie Kate Collier.

Rufus was employed for over thirty years with the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation.  He retired in 2001 as a Sr. Engineering Technician. He was also a shop steward for the Public Employees Federation. Rufus was the founder and past president of the Albany chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and a member of One Hundred Black Men, Commando Lodge 1105, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and the Albany County Democrats. Rufus served on the boards of Two Together, Inc and the Berkshire Ballet. He loved to cook for family & friends and was an active volunteer in his community.

He is survived by his children Christopher W. (Susan) Collier, James E. (Sharon) Collier, Cheryl K. Collier, Dawn V. Collier, Kimberly A. (Jason) Ellis and Sheena D. Collier, as well as his sisters Geraldine C. Hall and Christine (Samuel) Wyse. Rufus was the dear friend and companion of several years to Sharon Dye of Albany.  He is also survived by 7 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and 2 nieces.

Funeral services will be held on Monday morning at 11:00 at Cannon Funeral Home, 2020 Central Ave., Colonie. Visitation will be on Monday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will be at Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Rufus J. Collier may be given to The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) at https://www.albinism.org.

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