Daniel (Dan) Russell Collister was born on April 29, 1928, in Manhattan, Kansas, and peacefully passed at the age of 98 on August 16, 2026. Dan was a lifelong resident of Gates Mills, Ohio, and the devoted son of Louis Joseph Collister (deceased) and Grace Lyons Collister (deceased) and the loving brother of Louis James Collister (deceased) and John Michael Collister. Dan shared 52 joyful years with his beloved wife, Lorinda (Rindy) Nash Collister. He is survived by his two children, Laurie Collister and Peter Collister (Rebecca), and four stepchildren, Lucy Lytle, Becky Everett (Chandler), John Lytle (Lee), and David Lytle. Dan was the adored grandfather of seven: Georgie Collister, Lizzie Collister, Katie Everett (Jacob Hailperin-Lausch), Andrew Everett, Jake Lytle, Tucker Lytle (Stephanie Varga), and Tori Lytle.

Dan attended Gates Mills Elementary School, Shaker Heights Middle School (he boarded with family friends), and graduated from Western Reserve Academy in 1946. He won a full scholarship from Wesleyan University and graduated in 1950. Soon after, he entered the Army, where he served for 5 years and learned to fly both airplanes and helicopters. During the Korean War, he was stationed in Austria, where he flew air patrols over the Czech border.

A gifted writer, dissuaded from pursuing that talent because it was “not practical,” Dan worked briefly in commercial real estate before obtaining his MBA from Case Western Reserve University. He worked in banking for Cleveland Trust (later AmeriTrust) and Huntington Bank, among others, during his career.

In Gates Mills, Dan served his beloved village as Treasurer, Councilman, and eventually Mayor from 1987 to 1995. He was a past president of the Gates Mills Historical Society, the Gates Mills Improvement Society, and the Gates Mills Land Conservancy, which he helped to found. He also served as head of the Gates Mills Elementary School’s Parent-Teacher Club. For many years, Dan and Rindy were active members of The Gates Mills Players, where Dan played the lead in many productions, including The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Brigadoon, Anything Goes, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. He remained a member of that group for 70 years, where he and Rindy formed several lifelong friendships.

While serving on the Board of Trustees of the Gates Mills Historical Society well into his nineties, Dan wrote two monographs, The Horse: How Equine Activity Contributed to Gates Mills’ Charm and A Life in Gates Mills, both published by and available from the Historical Society.

In recognition of Dan’s service to Gates Mills, in April of 2022, Village Council voted to honor him by renaming the polo field the “Daniel R. Collister Polo Field.” On May 30, 2022, Dan, Rindy, and their entire family attended the dedication ceremony, where a commemorative plaque on a beautiful donated boulder was unveiled. Dan was extremely touched and humbled by the outpouring of love and support he received that day.

On Saturday, October 10, at 1:00 p.m., a Celebration of Life service for Dan will be held at St. Christopher by-the-River Episcopal Church, 7601 Chagrin River Road in Gates Mills.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Dan’s memory to The Gates Mills Historical Society, PO Box 191, Gates Mills, Ohio 44040. Please write “Dan Collister” on the memo line of the check.