Collin David Emerson

Collin David Emerson, 77, of Temperance, Mich., formerly of Brooklyn, Mich., died peacefully in his sleep and in his home, on January 13, 2021, following a long illness. Collin was born on May 1, 1943, in Addison, Mich., to Arlo and Elizabeth Emerson. When Collin was only two, his father Arlo was killed in action fighting the Nazis in Ardennes. The youngest of four children, he and his siblings were raised by their mother and grandmother, Violet Mellinger, in the quiet countryside outside of Brooklyn, Mich.

Collin spent his childhood fishing and hunting in the woods around his house, developing an abiding connection with nature and wildlife, and counting among his childhood pets everything from a fox to a brown bat.

After graduating from Brooklyn High School, then Taylor University, Collin embarked on a life of adventure. He traveled widely, driving a Volkswagen Bus with his best friend Denny Whitehead on a ten-week trek to the wilds of Alaska in the summer of 1967. He toured Europe, and a few years later he taught in Balla Balla, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) at St. Stephen’s, an English boarding school. The stories of his travels, honed over years of telling, would later inspire his own sons on their own adventures.

Returning to Michigan, Collin took a position teaching biology and horticulture at Whiteford High School where he remained for thirty-five years until his retirement in 2005. It was there he met his wife, Shawn (Schwyn), an English teacher. They married on June 30, 1973, and then started a family. Together, they raised two boys, Jamie and Brady. Collin was a deeply devoted husband and father who never missed one of his son’s games, and was always quick to show his love, pride, and support in whatever they did.

Throughout his life, he continued to fish at every opportunity – for bluegill and crappie in the lakes of the Irish Hills, rainbow trout in the cold mountain streams of Colorado, or for Snook in the mangroves and brackish tide-water flats of Florida. Many an evening was spent casting into the darkening waters of Grassy or Pickerel Lake, alone or with his sons, waiting for a bite. Just one more cast. He was never more at peace.

Later in life, Collin became a refined horticulturist and landscaper. With time and patience, his talents transformed and elevated many green spaces, including the courtyard at the school, his immaculately designed backyard, and at St. Luke’s Lutheran church. He had an artist’s eye for color, texture and line, an encyclopedic knowledge of plants, and an uncommon sensitivity to the natural landscape.

His final years were spent doting on his family, including his dear grandson, Arlo; and his beloved dog, Bindi. Collin will be remembered for his gentleness of spirit, his moral bearing, his soulful approach to life, and above all his love for family.

Collin is survived by his wife, Shawn Emerson of Temperance; and his sons, Brady (Anna) of Brooklyn, New York, and Jamie of Denver, Colorado; grandson, Arlo (Brady); sister, Vicky McCourtie; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Christy and Mike Allen. He was preceded in death by his grandson, William Bruce Emerson; his parents, Arlo and Elizabeth; his sister, Janice (Richard) Stone; his brother, Devon Emerson; and brother-in-law, Tom McCourtie.

Arrangements by the Michael W. Pawlak Funeral Home, Temperance, Mich. A memorial service will be held this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hidden Lake Gardens at canr.msu.edu/hiddenlakegardens/.