Eldon Hayes Coller

  General Notes:

This is incomplete and will be expanded over time.

When Eldon was about 18 months old, he and his parents went on a vacation covering the east and mid-south.

The Hayes middle name used by Eldon, Mark and Gary Coller came from the name of the pastor who married Ethel May Miller and William McKinley Coller. His name was Rev. Lewis(?) Hayes of the Evangelical Church in Flint, Michigan.

A letter from Jack Coller to Eldon Coller in 1925 hoped he was feeling better. This would be a reference to polio.

Eldon Hayes Coller was born on the Coller farm in Sanilac County, Michigan. It was in a grain storage building out in the fields. Eldon recalls - The house was probably full with many of the family still home and working the farm. The Collers were intelligent and successful, but also very tough. They owned a significant amount of acerage and were one of the largest farmers in the county. The grain storage bulding was open through the center with storage bins along the sides. It was for temporary grain storage. An area for Ethel to have the baby was created with hay and whatever was available. Ethel had a very difficult time.

Additional information provided by Marry Ellen Welsh concerning the circumstances surrounding the birth of Eldon Coller:
Mom described the place much as you have described it. It was the most God forsaken building in the middle of nowhere with no insulation and very little in the way of "kitchen" area. The wind sailed through the cracks in the wooden walls. Somehow word reached her parents about the birth, I'm not sure how, but I remember her saying that here came her dad in a buckboard or some wagon loaded with all sorts of food and things that she would need. After seeing the dismal place she was living, her father loaded her into the wagon as soon as she was able to travel and took her back to Flint. It was not a pleasant time of her life. Did your dad tell you that the middle name Hayes came from not only the name of the minister who married them but the doctor who delivered him? I always thought that was pretty neat.

Eldon graduated from Lakeshore High School in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence: 1422 Richfield Road, Flint, Michigan, 1925. Taken from address and date on mail.

• Residence: 4835 Bedford Rd., Detroit, Michigan. This is where Eldon Coller and Shirley Makima lived when they were first married.

• Picture: 1926 Dodge Four Door. Eldon's first car was a 1926 Dodge Phaeton four door. He purchased the car for $25 in 1936. It had been on blocks in storage. The rubber on the tires was dried out and wore off quickly. He would purchase used tires which could be had for around $1 at the time. The paint was falling off, so he painted it with a brush.

Eldon married Shirley Elaine Makima, daughter of Enoch Erhardt Makima and Sisko Eliina Hokkanen, on 9 Oct 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. (Shirley Elaine Makima was born in Detroit, Michigan.)

  Marriage Notes:

The wedding reception was held at the Botsford Inn in Farmington Hills, Michigan.