Patrick A. Colliton

Patrick Allen Colliton, age 88, of Fargo, ND, passed away peacefully at his Little Pine Lake home on June 26, 2022, surrounded by family.

Pat was born to Edward and Hildegard (Neppl) Colliton on September 18th,1933, and lived at that time in Kent, MN. When Pat was two years old, his father became incapacitated from an illness and died when Pat was eleven. Hildegard and her three sons then moved to Moorhead, MN, in 1948. He attended Sacred Heart Academy, where he excelled in academics and athletics. He participated in football, basketball, and track under coach Sid Cichy. Pat was in the first graduating class of Shanley High School and was the salutatorian in 1951. He enrolled at NDAC (NDSU) and graduated in 1955, after which he was accepted into Tulane University’s medical school in New Orleans, LA. After his first year of medical school, Pat married Rae (Schill) on August 18, 1956, in Moorhead, MN. He proudly received his medical degree in 1959.

Following medical school, Pat joined the US Army Medical Corps, where he interned at Madigan Army Hospital in Tacoma, WA. Following his internship, he worked as a medical officer in Mainz, Germany, for a year. Pat and Rae returned to the US, where he began a residency in ophthalmology at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, CO. After his residency, Pat returned to Madigan Army Hospital before receiving orders to join an Army field hospital at Camp Zama near Tokyo, Japan. After completing this 2-year mission, Pat retired from the Army with the rank of Major.

Pat and Rae returned to the Fargo-Moorhead area in August 1967, where he spent a year in Fargo associated with Dr. Cal Fercho. The following year he started his solo practice in ophthalmology in Moorhead, MN, and retired in 1998. During his retirement, Pat enjoyed spending time with his family traveling, hunting, and golfing.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife Rae, his son Patrick, grandson Steven, and his brothers James and Robert.

He is survived by his children: Cathy (Rick) Spaeth, Scott (GayAnn), Mark (Rich), Steve (Roxann), Todd (Cherri), and grandchildren Taylor, Katelyn, Ana, and Conner; brother-in-law Bill Schill (Kathy), and several nieces and nephews.

We will remember Dad as a kind and respectful man who offered thoughtful guidance and listened to us intently. We are going to miss him.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Shanley High School and Hospice of the Red River Valley (Perham, MN.)