Martha Gene Collis (Barchak), 78, of Muskegon, Michigan, was called home to the Lord on November 25, 2025. She was under the care of Hospice for terminal health conditions. Her loving husband, Roger; daughters, Karen and Bonnie; son, Richard; sons-in-law, George and Ron; and granddaughter Nicole were by her side.
Martha was born in Fruitport Township on February 21, 1947 to Ethel Lorraine Barchak (McCulley) and Anthony Joseph Barchak. She was the third born of five girls. She had two older sisters, Sue and Maxine, and two younger sisters, Toni Jo (Dodie) and Robin (Sue). Martha spent most of her childhood and early adult years in the Whitehall/Montague area and graduated from Whitehall High School. In 1963 she married her first husband, Richard J. Yager, and together they conceived two children, son Richard Yager Jr. and daughter Karen Yager. After only a few short years of marriage, her husband Richard was tragically taken in a vehicle accident. In December of 1968, she started dating her current husband, Roger D. Collis. They married on July 2, 1970. Together they conceived daughter Bonnie Collis-VanderMolen (Collis) and son Anthony Collis, who unfortunately passed during childbirth.
Martha was a fierce woman who was loved by so many people, and she made a positive impact on so many more. She identified the most with her Hungarian heritage from her father’s side of the family and introduced herself as “Hungarian American.” In 1985 she was “saved” when she accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into her heart and held that life-changing moment in high regard. There are many paths that she walked in her professional life, and there are a few she was most proud of. In her earlier years, as a waitress, she had the honor of serving Johnny Cash and his band. Later in life, after she was “saved,” she volunteered at local rescue missions and similar organizations. She received her Substance Abuse Counselor Certificate and worked for Child and Family Services in 1987 until a back injury took her out of the workforce in the early 90’s. Religion, family and friends were the biggest parts of her life and what she was the most proud of. In her senior years she enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Martha and Roger were also very active in the church community. She loved to play card games with her husband and their friends in the evenings. She loved to travel to visit her daughter in California. She also loved an occasional trip to the casino and shopping at local retail shops and thrift stores.
Martha’s dedication to her family, friends and the Lord will be severely missed. They broke the mold when she was brought into this world. There will never be another person like her, and her tenacious spirit and determined disposition have left a significant impact on all those who loved her dearly.
Martha is preceded in death by: her mother, Ethel; father, Anthony; sisters, Sue and Maxine; brother-in-law, Harry Cooley; daughter-in-law, Leeann Yager; and first husband, Richard.
Martha is survived by: her husband, Roger Collis; her four children, Richard Yager, Karen Yagersmith (husband George Smith), Bonnie Collis-Vandermolen (husband Ron Vandermolen), and stepson Scott Gant (wife Tatiana Gant); her two sisters, Robin (Sue) Cooley, and Toni Jo (Dodie) Barchak. Through Richard, five grandchildren: Nicole, Elizabeth, Zachary, Kenneth and Melissa. Through Karen: two grandchildren, George and Erin. Through Bonnie, seven grandchildren: Christopher, Tori, Amanda, Austin, Jordan, Brennen and Camren. At the time of her passing, she had 26 great-grandchildren.
