Colleen Dorrette Eccleston

Published 4:01 pm Friday, August 25, 2023

Colleen Dorrette Eccleston

October 5, 1936 – August 7, 2023

Colleen Dorrette Eccleston was born at the home of her parents May (Eicher) and Ray Arthur on October 5, 1936. She was the oldest of three children.

She attended all 12 years of school at Eagle Point, was chosen Homecoming Queen during her senior year, and graduated Valedictorian of her class. During those years, she learned to play the piano, tried out playing softball, participated in many high school activities, and made quite a number of indelible friendships.

She attended Seattle Pacific College (now University) in Seattle, Washington where she met and married Claude McCoy, MD. She helped put him through eight years of schooling by working and later became a stay-at-home mom for three children.

After divorce, she attended an Eagle Point High School reunion and reconnected with many friends, including Chuck Eccleston, whom she dated once in high school. This time, their interest blossomed, and they married on June 7, 1993. Their over 28 years together was marked by their devotion to one another.

Returning to the Rogue Valley, where she grew up, was surprisingly not easy for her to feel immediately at home, but her extended family, her friends, her cribbage friends, the people of the Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, her book club friends, connections with neighbors and involvement in the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society (RVGS) helped to evoke a strong sense of community over time.

Genealogy was a big part of her life, a passion shared with Chuck. They both worked at RVGS, Colleen as a library director for a number of years, and enjoyed helping others find their ancestors. They had many an adventure across the United States, sleuthing facts, finding lost relatives (both on paper and in person), visiting historical markers, and relishing cemetery visits. Even on her last day of life, she was reliving the satisfaction of putting one of her genealogical files in order.

She enjoyed canning and doing evening dishes with her mother during her youth. She loved reading, especially historical novels. She played piano at church and at school. She enjoyed crocheting (mostly) and knitting. She was an avid sports fan, enjoying going to basketball games and baseball games with her father in her youth, and regularly watching the games on TV as an adult. She had a strong sense of organization (files and numbers) and worked as a book-keeper for a number of years.

She was devoted in relationship with God, particularly expressed through the Christian tradition, with regular personal and group studies of the Bible. She grew up in Eagle Point Community Bible Church. She was one of the original members of the Berean Bible Church in Seattle, Washington. She participated in church all her life, praying for others, counting the Sunday tithes, and watching the J’ville Presbyterian YouTube streaming video services for the last couple years of her life.

She loved spending time with family. She grew up surrounded by her cousins. And wrote to and visited her parents regularly. She helped organize and participated in innumerable Eicher/Arthur family reunions, as well as other special events and get-togethers. She kept almost every card, drawing, photo or gift from friends and family, turning them into keepsakes that were cherished and difficult to let go. In the last couple of years, whenever there was a video posted of her great grandchildren, she would immediately watch it, and then rewatch it. She was absolutely delighted in their innocent shenanigans, which you could see from her smiles and occasional laughter.

She will be remembered for her love, loyalty, unexpected wit, shared understanding, kind regard, self-reflective quality, ready smile and even-spirit.

Colleen died in her home, as a result of debilitating health conditions, on August 7, 2023. She was preceded in death by her husband, Chuck Eccleston; and her brother, Morris Arthur. She is survived by her sisters-in-law Donna (Wolff) Arthur and Linda (Eccleston) Vanderlip; her youngest brother, James and Lindy (Melinda Lee Smith) Arthur; son Phillip McCoy and his three adult children: Kevin McCoy, Kelly (McCoy) and Tim McLaurin II, and their children, Katala and Remi; Michael and Julia (Coulson) McCoy; daughter Karen McCoy; son Nathan McCoy and Kali-Ahset Amen (Nate’s children in first group (1) and Kali-Ahset’s children in second group (2)): (1) Kia (Coddington) Brubaker, and her children, Evelyn and Dean; Kyriana McCoy; and Kalina McCoy; and (2) Xiomara Strayhorn; and Joshua Strayhorn; as well as other numerous loved ones.

If you wish to honor the memory of Colleen, you may donate to the Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society or to a charity of your choice.

A special thanks to ReJoyce Healthcare At Home (now permanently closed), Whole Heart Elder Care, Asante Hospice, Asante Hospital and our local emergency/nonemergency workers and other healthcare providers for compassionate care and empathetic understanding.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 19 at 10:00am at Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, 425 Middle St, Jacksonville, OR 97530. Burial at the Medford I.O.O.F. Eastwood Cemetery.