Baker City, Oregon
Jacquelyn Mayce Collard, 16, of Baker City, died Feb. 4, 2007, near North Powder.
Recitation of the rosary and vigil services were held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral.
A memorial mass will be held at 2 p.m. today at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. Father Julian Cassar will officiate. Family and friends are invited to gather in the parish hall for a reception immediately following the service.
Friends and classmates of Mayce are invited to attend a celebration of her life in the Baker High School Commons, 2500 E St., at 5 p.m. today.
Mayce was born Nov. 23, 1990, in Columbia, S.C., to Mary and Bryan Collard. She moved to Baker City with her family in the fall of 1993. Mayce attended Brooklyn and North Baker Elementary schools, Baker Middle School and was a sophomore at Baker High School.
Mayce took pride in her involvement in many school activities. She was a freshman/JV cheerleader, played on the JV volleyball team, a member of FBLA, student council and The Dog Pound, and played first base on the Bulldogs softball team. She loved to snowboard with her friends and was also an excellent gymnast and swimmer. She had been a member of the Baker Valley Volleyball Club for the past four years.
She was especially proud of her participation in two productions, “Annie” and “Camelot” with the Music Theatre of Idaho, where she made and continued contact with many special friends.
Mayce was an active member of the St. Francis parish family where she was a longtime altar-server, member of the youth group, and sang with the Parish Folk Group. She also helped with the children’s choir. More recently, she had joined the Young Life group and was planning to attend their summer camp.
She was a beloved babysitter to so many children and was an active community volunteer, especially with Baker County CASA.
She was so proud of her new job at Albertsons. She enjoyed the fast pace of her day and the constant contact with so many people.
She loved to travel! Her favorite trips were to North Myrtle Beach, S.C., where she would spend hours on end walking the beaches and, of course, making new friends. The summer of 2006 was especially memorable for her as she was able to share her favorite beach with a special friend, and then travel with her Nana for a second time to New York City where she attended many Broadway shows.
Attending a “Sequoia Prep School” concert and hanging out with the band members made her the envy of many a fan from Baker City.
Mayce’s passion for life was seen by young and old alike. She loved being with her friends and could turn a “nothing to do in Baker night” into a memory. She loved going for coffee and having friends over for movies while teaching them the art of eating Cheetos with mustard. The hot tub was known to exceed the number of persons allowed on more than one occasion and the living room crowded with friends from all over loudly sharing their love of music.
She had a special gift of acceptance and love for all people. She did not care if you were old, young, rich, poor, popular, unpopular, pierced, preppy, bulldog, tiger or even if you ate red meat — you were her friend.
Mayce loved being a Baker Bulldog. She was the voice you heard cheering no matter the sport. There was rarely a school event that she did not attend. She was especially proud of her brother Harrison’s success during this year’s 2006 football season and waited eagerly to hear about his college plans. She was quick to scream “That’s my brother!” as he cruised down the field.
The big sister she had always dreamed of was coming to a reality with the upcoming marriage of oldest brother Addison to Danielle Podliska. She loved them both with all her heart and couldn’t wait to have Danielle, as well as Danielle’s family, officially all hers.
Mayce accepted the role of big sister with open arms. She loved to have girl time with Hope and Evee and their young friends, which usually consisted of lots of makeup and funky hair. She loved going to their school and attending all of their sporting events. She worked tirelessly this year to perfect Hope’s volleyball sets and Evee’s cheerleading routines.
She touched the lives of so many foster children who passed through the doors of her home and even the home of others. She gave them as much love as she could while they were with the family and then helped them move on. Every child was truly a gift in her eyes.
She is survived by her parents, Bryan and Mary Collard of Baker City; brothers, Addison of Boise, and Harrison of Baker City; sisters, Hope and Evee of Baker City; future sister-in-law, Danielle Podliska of Baker City; grandparents, Ernest and Elaine Collard and Kathye and Jerry Corn, all of Baker City, and Jacquelyn and Charles McNeill of West Columbia, S.C.; “adopted Grandpa” Robert H. Haller of Baker City; aunts and uncles, Debra and Paul Kidney of Williamsburg, Va., Scott and Jordan Collard of Lexington, S.C., Marnie and Anne Moore of Florence, S.C., Krysti and Rodney Miner of Medford, Charlyn McNeill of West Columbia, S.C., Stephanie Corn of La Habra, Calif., Mary Sue and Mark Lewis of West Columbia, S.C., Nikki Corn of Baker City, Michael and Lynn McNeill of Ganesvoort, N.Y., and Rikki Corn of Boise, and numerous beloved cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, M. Heyward Moore and her beloved mentor, teacher and friend Sue Lindley.
Memorial contributions can be made to Baker County CASA or BHS softball through Gray’s West and Co., 1500 Dewey Ave, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, February 8, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor