Deborah (Deb) Lynn Regal Coller, age 62, passed away at her home on October 26, 2020, in Pinckney, MI. She was born on February 2, 1958, in Dearborn, the first child of William Olson and Leah Grimes.
While she lived most of her life in Michigan, Deb’s heart belonged to Southern California. She spent happy years of her childhood living in Orange County with her parents and younger sister, Denise. Deb prompted frequent visits to Disneyland and filled her days picking oranges off the backyard trees, playing with her best friends next door, and going to the nearby beaches.
After her parents divorced, she moved back to Michigan. Her mother later married Melvin (Mel) Zold, and they had two children (Deb and Denise’s half siblings), Elaine and Edward Zold.
In the summer, Deb spent time at the lake cottage with her grandparents and great-grandparents, and she especially enjoyed fishing with her grandfather. (How she managed to wake up at 5:00 a.m.—without an alarm clock—is still unknown. Denise suspects she opted to not sleep in order to meet the challenge.)
While in high school in 1975, Deb found an opportunity to spend a year abroad as an exchange student in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She thrived on the challenge of learning a new language and culture, and she ended up staying in Japan a few months longer than originally planned. When she returned to the States, she attended the University of Michigan, where she met Randolph (Randy) Regal. They married in 1977 and had five kids, all with “J” names: Jeremy, Justin, Joshua, Jacob, and Jillian. She instilled in her kids an intellectual curiosity, independent thinking, and a desire to explore the world: her two oldest kids spent their senior year of high school abroad, like Deb had, and—much to her delight—four of her children ended up living in California at different points of their lives, including one as a Marine.
After several years of staying home to raise her kids, Deb decided to go back to school and earn her teaching degree. In the 90s, she taught at COPE, an alternative education nonprofit in Ypsilanti. Her next stop: teaching middle school at Pathfinder School in Pinckney, where she spent almost 20 years demystifing math for 8th graders and one year embarrassing her daughter in class. Even after retiring, she continued to tutor students and work as a consultant on math curricula.
Somehow, she found time for extracurriculars, including volunteering with the Tecumseh Youth Theater, and advocating for social justice and the environment with the Adrian Dominican Sisters. (Fun fact: Deb’s history of getting arrested at protests was a hiccup to her oldest son earning Marine security clearance.) After retiring from teaching, she kept herself busy, ushering sporting events at the University of Michigan. While short in stature, Deb’s tie-dye dresses and boisterous laugh ensured she could always be found in a crowd.
Deb and Randy divorced in 2005, and she married Robert (Bob) Coller in 2006. With Bob, she resided near Portage Lake, where they enjoyed boating and caring for a menagerie of animals, including her Siberian huskies, Lara and Maya; two blind cats, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder; Siamese cats, Pandora and Medea; and rescue tabbies, Bonnie and Clyde.
A woman of conviction, Deb used her voice to bolster others around her. She lent her kids books about racial justice, empowered her female students to love math, and never backed down from a political debate with friends and family members. With Deb, there was no such thing as small talk—why talk about the weather when you can talk about the military-industrial complex or the upcoming showdown between Michigan and Michigan State? (Go Blue!)
In her final years, Deb joined Tempest, an online organization dedicated to self-guided sobriety. Until the end, she was dedicated to pushing herself to be better—not just for herself, but for her children and grandchildren. She would drop everything to be there for her family, including driving to North Carolina to watch her grandson. No matter what was happening in her life, she put the needs of her loved ones first.
Survivors include her children, Jeremy (Olga) Regal, Justin (Consuela) Regal, Joshua Regal (Tehmina Masud), Jacob (Rachel) Regal, and Jillian Regal (Frank Miles); stepson, Wesley (Celeste) Coller; her three spoiled grandchildren Ivana, Saaz, and James; step-granddaughter, Ellie; siblings, Elaine Zold (Matthew Perkins) and Denise (Randall) Patrick; nieces and nephews, Lauren Patrick, and Naomi and Elliot Perkins; and first husband Randy (Janice) Regal. She is also survived by her mother, Leah Grimes, and dad, Melvin Zold (Bobbe Rosenberg). In addition, she leaves many cousins and extended family members. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert W. Coller, father, William Olson, siblings, Edward Zold and Kelly Olson, and stepson, Sean Coller.
On October 30, her family laid her to rest in a green burial at The Preserve at All Saints Cemetery in Waterford Township, MI. Instead of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Michigan Humane Society, the Adrian Dominican Sisters, MATHCOUNTS, and/or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Gone too soon, but forever alive in our memories. We love you, Deb... Mom... and we wish we had a chance to say goodbye.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
