Bertha "Pebba" McCollom's Obituary
Bertha “Pebba” McCollom was born on February 27, 1931, to Bertha Campbell Montgomery and David McMahan Montgomery. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William Gene “Jimmy” McCollom, to whom she was married for 64 years; both lifelong residents of Plano, TX. Pebba is survived by her sons, Barry McCollom; Mark McCollom and his wife, Tracy Wallace, and their children: Galen, his wife, Emma, and Ava. Pebba was so proud of her grandchildren.
Warm, lighthearted and kind, Pebba was well-loved by her sons, grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, camping friends, and church friends. She loved people well and was always up for anything. Pebba and Jimmy spent untold hours camping with their boys, starting with a tent and ending in an RV. They traveled through all 50 states. For ten years, Pebba and Jimmy worked as camp hosts at Glacier National Park taking in the beauty and culture of the area while making many friends. They made a special trip to Denali, Alaska before retiring the RV. Pebba traveled to Scotland in May 2023 with Mark’s family, getting her first ever passport at 92 years old.
Pebba lived the last few years in Dallas with Mark and Tracy. She enjoyed many adventures to the Dallas Arboretum in all seasons, the State Fair of Texas, weekend trips to Arkansas and the Hill Country, and visiting local coffee shops. She loved hopping in the car with one of the family for drives around White Rock Lake. Mark’s family adored having Pebba live with them, creating special memories and opportunities to keep a close eye on her health. In early August 2025, both Pebba and Tracy contracted COVID at the same time. Pebba then suffered with pneumonia, shingles and congestive heart failure over the next 6 weeks; taking her to the hospital then skilled nursing then to Mark and Tracy’s home on hospice where she passed peacefully on Oct. 1, 2025. We all miss her sweet countenance, her love of nature, listening ear and kind heart.
We will celebrate Pebba’s life on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at Greenland Hills United Methodist Church, 5835 Penrose Ave., Dallas, TX, 75206 with Visitation at 12:00 p.m. followed by her funeral service at 1:00 p.m. Procession to Restland for the graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Parks Foundation
https://give.nationalparks.org/site/Donation
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