Terence John Collins
December 27, 1942 - March 10, 2016
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Terence John Collins
December 27, 1942 - March 10, 2016
Obituary
Terence John Collins, 74, of Bellingham, WA, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, March 10, 2016.
Terry was born in New York, NY, on December 27, 1942 to Art and Dot Collins. He had a distinguished career of 20 years in the US Navy from which he retired with Commander status and then began his next professional chapter working as a supervisor at an oil refinery in Ferndale, WA. It was the start of his career in the oil industry that led him to New Zealand where he met and married his wife, Gail of 31 years on May 10, 1985, in New Plymouth, New Zealand. One could always be sure to find Terry reading and watching sports, especially teams from Boston! Terence is remembered as a kind, caring, polite, loving and honorable man who loved his wife and children very dearly.
Terry is survived by his wife Gail, son Kiley (Laura) Collins, son Gary Collins, daughter Heather Collins and four brothers Arthur (Paula) Collins, Kevin (Debbie) Collins, Brian (Sandy) Collins and Michael (Sue) Collins. He is also survived by his one grandchild, Forrest Collins, and sixteen nieces and nephews.
A funeral service followed by a reception celebrating the life of Terry will be held Tuesday, March 15, at 1 p.m. at Moles Farewell Tributes Bellingham, 2465 Lakeway Drive. The family thanks everyone for the kind thoughts and words. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the VFW in Bellingham Post 1585 or to the American Legion Post 7.
A Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, March 15th at 1:00pm at Moles Farewell Tributes (2465 Lakeway Dr. Bellingham).
Funeral Service
- Date & Time: March 15, 2016 (12:00 AM)
- Venue: Moles Farewell Tributes- Bellingham
- Location: 2465 Lakeway Dr Bellingham, WA 98229 - (Get Directions)
- Phone Number: (360) -73-3-0510
6 responses to Terence John Collins
Charlie Waugh says:
March 10, 2016
I’ll always remember Terry for his quick and biting wit. He was always very humorous and a lot of fun to be with. I flew as his copilot several times and was always impressed with his rapid fire headwork as a P-3 Orion Aircraft Commander.
My favorite memory of Terry was when he was promoted to Navy Commander. He showed up at the Officers’ Club, and in the squadron wearing his new Commander’s bridge cover with the appurtenant scrambled eggs (leafy gold adornments) on the bill of the hat. Since commander was the first officer rank that was authorized the cap with scrambled eggs this was an exciting uniform upgrade for Terry. We all looked at him and thought, boy, seems like they are making those new commander hats quite a bit fancier than they used to. Turns out Terry had accidentally purchased an Admirals hat, which has about double the amount of adornment as a Commander’s hat. After about a day, we finally convinced him it was the wrong one and forever kidded him that he was indeed Admiral Collins, but only for one day.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Terry. I’ll see you on the other side.
Charlie Waugh
Lcdr USNR-R
Patrol Squadron Sixty-Nine
Whidbey Island, WA
Wendy Wampler says:
March 10, 2016
Terry…You touched many people in many walks of life. I first knew you at the refinery. A man of many talents you were. More well read and intelligent than most..
.You always treated everyone the same.
I must say you were the best supervisor we all had. Firm and always fair with a sense of humor to go with it…Rest well Terry….
Sandy Paris says:
March 10, 2016
I shall miss Terry very much. He was a bright spot in my life for many years, always had a smile and a big smack on the cheek when we saw each other. It was Terry, Frank S., Kevin R. and I that starting going out on Friday afternoons after work in the late 1980s. Somewhere along the line, FADC was born and has been on our calendar ever since. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you in this sad time.
Michal Milczewski says:
March 10, 2016
I will miss your warm and wonderful presence. You always had a smile and said “Life is Good” every time I would see you. Your passion for the Patriots made me love the Patriots. You will be deeply missed by those whose lives you touched and changed. I am honored to have known you Terry. Just knowing that you were a US Naval Commander reminds me to thank those whose service keeps this country safe. I can never thank you enough for the sacrifices that you made to ensure that this great country of ours was protected. You are a kind a loving soul, who left an indelible mark on me as a person. Thank you for all the wonderful times we had together Terry, I will miss you.
Mike Cooper says:
March 10, 2016
I was deeply sorry to hear the news of Terry’s passing – he was my supervisor on many occasions through the years at the Refinery…he used to jokingly call me his “nemesis”, I guess because on occasion I had difficulty learning – but with his superior guidance, he always managed to get me on track…he was a fine man, I truly enjoyed working for him and especially appreciated his great humor and his upbeat personality. He surely did have all the leadership qualities that could be expected from a U.S. Navy Commander.
He will be missed in our world. Semper Fidelis