James Collins Obituary

you dont now me.i was looking up my father,and got yours.it really hit me hard.my father was james patrick collins also.he also died 8 years ago from cancer.also cathlck,and a famliy man.my hurt is with you all.

Dad,
It's your anniversary. You've been with God for 8 years now. I feel like I never got a chance to say goodbye to you. It seemed if I said goodbye, I was giving up hope that you would get better and I didn't want to admit that you were so sick. The last thing you said to me is that "I'm so sick and tired of being of being sick and tired."
It seems like yesterday that you were here with us. Now Mom is with you in heaven. It was so hard to lose her last year. I can't believe that it will be almost a year. I miss you both more than I ever imagined even though I know you're here watching over the kids.
I love you so much. Happy anniversary of your going to God.
Love,
Teri

Look Dad I am learning to use the computer! You are always in my heart. I miss you!
Mary Therese

Dad,

It gives me peace that your spirit lives in the hearts of so many people who loved you. I love you.

Teri

It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be 3 months since Dad passed away. It doesn't seem real yet and I still reach for the phone to call him sometimes.( Especially when I am trying to cook a pot roast.) I know now what it means when it's said that memories keep the spirit alive.

Dear Therese and Collins Family,

We were shocked and saddened to hear of Jim's passing. I'm glad that our families were able to meet through the reunions. The moments Theresa and I spent with you and Jim at the reunions were moments that we'll always cherish. We always enjoyed your company. We sincerely hope that You and your family will continue coming to the reunions as you are a part of the Korean Veteran family. Jim and I shared a quonset hut for over a year and we were the only two vets from Company B. This is a great personal loss to me and Jim will be sincerely missed.

With Sympathy, Louis and Theresa Gonzales and family

Here is what my mom said about Grandpa at his funeral mass. I love you Grandpa!



Today we celebrate the life of James Patrick Collins, Jr. , our husband, father, grandfather, brother uncle and friend. You could tell how long and where someone knew Dad by what they called him. He was Pat to his immediate family because his father’s name was James Patrick, too and his Dad went by Jim - and so as not to confuse them, Dad was Pat. The kids on Lavergne and Madison on the West Side called him Jimmy Pat and when he went out into the army and work world, he became Jimmy.



Of course, Dad had a way with other people’s names, he was the only person who I know could use the name “ Goofy” as a term of endearment, as in “Come here Goofy, let me help you” or in “Hey Goofy - how about a cocktail?”



He had a gruff exterior that could chase any teenage boy off the porch from his girls but he was a real softie on the inside. He coached little league and always made sure the little guys got to play.He was that kind of guy.





He was faithful and devoted to his family, church and country. He was a Korean War veteran with the 765 TRSB in Pusan and was proud of it. He and my mom would go on trips every year to meet his friends from all over the country at an annual reunion.





Although he didn’t always agree with the pope and wasn’t afraid to tell you or the priest, he shared his Catholic faith with his children and sacrificed to send us to Catholic schools. One time I remember he painted the gym at St. Bernardine’s in order to pay all of our tuition.





Dad was truly devoted to his family. He was always there for us when we needed him. Whether it was cooking a good home-cooked stuffed pork chop dinner with salad and garlic bread on the side or calling us at college when we were homesick, and then promptly telling everyone to get off the phone after he heard your voice, he was there. He worked three jobs to make ends meet but always made sure he had an Easter corsage for his wife and girls. He taught his boys the value of hard work but was never to tired to play Towering Inferno off the Front Porch on New England.



Dad was a faithful husband. Oh - how he loved our mother, Mary Therese, oh so much! He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world and said so all the time. They were partners in everything and worked hard for their dreams. Their love was a special gift to all of us children.



Dad was a character and you always knew when he was around. I remember when we were in Galena when we were little and he and Don Ellwood wrote a song “Up in Jo Daviess County” that had as many verses as beers that had preceded it and was our hit tune for the summer! I know all the Ellwood, Oates and Collins kids can still sing it!





Dad loved to have a good time and when he and Gene McCambridge would get together for lunch, you always had some good laughs. I still think he should have bought stock in After the Fox.



Dad loved being a fireman and was a true friend to the guys he worked with. He always made the extended fireman family special to us and we will treasure memories of trips to the firehouse to see Dad when he was working. Working, a lot of times in his later days, meant cooking and taking trips to Dominicks where he knew all the butchers and counter girls.



Dad had many special talents. He could grow a yearly crop of corn in a 3X5 foot plot of dirt which was guarded by a pink flamingo. He could hand paint cars with a brush and make them look like new. He could plot out a different family vacation every year that always ended in St. Paul to see Aunt Kay and Uncle Merl. This of course included many stops at junkyards all over the state of Wisconsin. You could tell he loved dogs when he adopted Gus and then let Lady, the firehouse dog, drive his car once. Yes we will have many stories to tell our children in the years to come and whenever I hear Mark’s voice, see Kathy’s face, watch Jim and Mike work, listen to Larry’s fire stories, enjoy Jeanne’s hospitality or think of my own adventures, I will see Dad.



Last Wednesday, when Dad was declared cancer free, I really believed that he had beat it and that although he was weak, he was going to be able to get stronger and have some more quality time in his life with us. But on Tuesday, for the first time in his life, his heart wasn’t strong enough to go on and God called him to be with him.



He will be missed by everyone who knew him. Now in true Jimmy fashion, I can hear him saying “ Theresa Ann, I told you to keep it short, I want to get out of here! - followed by “ Come on Mary Therese, it’s time to go! We’re always the last ones to leave! Come on Let’s go!



I love you Dad.

WITH DEEP SYMPATHY AND HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE WHOLE FAMILY ON YOUR LOSS. MAY GOD COMFORT YOU AND GIVE YOU STRENGTH IN THIS MOST DIFFICULT HOUR.

YOU'RE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

I was lucky to have shared a dozen or so of the seventy years of his special life.

And I was always treated like family in a family that was already pretty large.

My favorite memories: summers watching White Sox games with him and his dad (Grandpa Collins, to me); the ping pong games at the firehouse; the long (but sometimes

rather fast) car rides to Galena; that old van; and the one guy who even Gus feared.

Miss you, Mr. Collins.

May our dear Lord send you the strength and loving family to help you in this time of loss. You are remembered in prayer.

Love and prayers,

Sister Therese

"Because he lived, there is more love in the world than there would have been without him."



Thank you for touching our lives.

With much love always,

Cheryl and Mia

Offering our deepest sympathies during this time.