Nina Caroline Collum

Nina Caroline Sachs was born in Monroe, Michigan on St. Patrick's Day March 17, 1927. The daughter of Henry Sachs and Norma (Weber) Sachs, she was one of two children. She attended Monroe High School, graduating with the class of 1945.
As a young girl, Nina worked on the family farm learning how to drive a team of horses and the farm tractor. She picked strawberries for 3 cents a quart, corn, soybeans, and wheat.
On November 30, 1946, at Grace Lutheran Church in Monroe, Nina married the love of her life, Allen Matthew Collum. The couple met at the age of eighteen at the Oddfellows Dance Hall in Monroe while Allen was on leave from the United States Army. He asked Nina's mother if he could offer her a ride home from the dance. The couple was blessed with two daughters and two sons while celebrating their sixty-five years of marriage.
Nina was a dedicated lifelong member of Grace Lutheran Church in Monroe. For decades she played the organ and sang for weddings at church. She also volunteered her time with the Ladies Aid Society. Throughout her life, she worked a variety of jobs outside the home to support her family's needs, from being the only bookkeeper at Nortel Lanes to being employed fourteen years as a seamstress at La-Z-Boy Chair Company.
Nina had many interests, such as crocheting, and making handmade afghans for her family, reading fictional novels, and square dancing. She enjoyed the beauty of being outdoors, cruising Deep Lake in the Irish Hills on her pontoon, riding around in the families 1926 Model T car dressed in that era of clothing, visiting lighthouses, or spending time tending to her wildflowers and many plants. She loved all animals especially her Italian Greyhound/Labrador mix Tasha Bella. Being a feisty German woman, she drove well into her nineties and daily enjoyed a cold can of Milwaukee's Best.
Nina C. Collum, age 98 of Monroe passed away on Tuesday; October 7, 2025, at the ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital. Her passing was preceded by her parents: Henry and Norma Sachs; her husband: Allen Collum on February 7, 2012; and a daughter in infancy: Carolyn Collum.
To cherish Nina's memory she leaves a daughter: Roxanne Snider of Monroe; two sons: Kevin Collum of Monroe, Michigan, and Paul Collum of Adrian, Michigan; a brother: Fred Sachs of Monroe; four grandchildren: Katrina (Ivan) Mason, Stefanni (Terry) Turner, Tricia (Mike) Zinner, and Kaitlyn (Adam) Braden; eight great grandchildren; and one nephew: Larry (Debbie) Sachs.
Friends may gather from 2:00pm until 8:00pm on Sunday; October 12, 2025, at Merkle Funeral Service, North Monroe, 2442 North Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48162 (734) 384-5185. She will lie in state from 9:00am until 11:00am on Monday; October 13, 2025, at Grace Lutheran Church; 630 North Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48162. A Funeral Service Celebrating Her Life will begin at 11:00am with Pastor Mark Witte officiating. A procession will follow to Gethsemane Cemetery for burial.
For those desiring, memorial contributions in Memory of Nina are suggested to Grace Lutheran Church or the Humane Society of Monroe County. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort or share a photo by visiting www.merklefs.com.