Roy Dale Collinge, 90, of Edina, Missouri, formerly of Wakarusa, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, August 4, 2019 in LaBelle, Missouri. Roy was born on November 2, 1928 in a farm house on the banks of the Neosho River near Neosho Rapids, Kansas. Roy's official birthday was November 2 but the date on his birth certificate read November 3 because the river was out of its banks, and the doctor couldn't get to the county seat to record it until the next day. This discrepancy was not discovered until later in his life, and to accommodate it, Roy just claimed the whole week as his birthday! In 1949, Roy married Mary Jo Devers in Lebo, Kansas and to this union were born seven children: Robert, Joseph, Mark, George, Martha, Denise, and Dennis. In 1951, Roy started work for Bell Telephone, initially in construction and later as an installer/repairman. He later moved to servicing the small, local telephone offices in the rural areas around Topeka as an Exchange Repair Technician. He retired from Bell in 1986. In 1983, in response to a problem common to all telephone companies, Roy was tasked with finding a solution to buried phone lines pulling loose from the "protector", a junction box on the outside of the house, when the soil dried and shrunk away from the house. He developed what is now known as the "Kansas Floating bond assembly" that solved the problem. It is now used by phone companies across the nation. It was estimated that the device would result in an annual savings of 5.2 million dollars company wide. In recognition of his accomplishment, Roy was awarded the "Rider Service Award" in 1986. In 1986, Roy married Elizabeth (Liz) Kett and moved to rural Wakarusa where they lived until 2016. Roy's hobbies included his passion for motorcycles, especially Indians; working on his many cars and tractors; maintaining their five acre "ranchette", and there were always pets from dogs and cats, to ferrets and parrots! His favorite was an Amazon parrot named "Deany" (short for Houdini because he was so good at getting out of his cage. Deany was a constant companion for over 25 years, often accompanying them on trips across the country. Roy had 15 grandchildren, and 31 great grandchildren scatter across the United States. He was preceded in death by spouses Mary Jo, and Elizabeth (Liz); his parents (C.L. and Myra Collinge); brothers, Darrel and Irwin; sisters, Jennie and Annie; infant son, Joseph; daughter, Denise, and great granddaughter Sydney. He is survived by sons; Robert (Peggy) Collinge of Edina, Mo, Mark (Susan) Collinge of Eagle, ID, George Collinge of Ft Scott, KS, Dennis (Kim) Collinge of Fruita, CO and daughter Martha Witchley of Carbondale, KS and daughter in law, Debra Marie (Bob) Owings of Monticello, FL. A celebration of life graveside and interment will be at a later date in Neosho Rapids, Kansas. Anyone interested in the date when set may contact Robert and Peggy Collinge of Edina, Missouri. Family would enjoy receiving any stories or memories you have of our dad. We will be sharing many of our own when we get together to honor dad. An expression of sympathy in memory of Roy Collinge may be left to the Topeka Rescue Mission or to the Hospice of the Donor's Choice. A memory, story, or memorial contribution may be mailed to the Doss Funeral Home 208 N. 4th Street, Edina, Missouri 63537. Or share a memory at dossfuneralhome.com