George Bowles Collins, Sr., passed away peacefully at his home, Brighton Gardens of Stamford, CT, on Saturday, March 31, due to complications from advanced dementia. He was 93. George was born in Manhattan, NY, to Dorothy and George Washington Collins on February 22, 1925. Together with his sister, Barbara, George grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri. He went to Kirkwood High School and briefly attended St. Louis University. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as an aviation electronics technician, and also played D-flat piccolo for the Navy band. After honorable discharge from military service, George attended and graduated from MIT in 1951 with a BS in electrical engineering. He then became a career IBMer, starting in Poughkeepsie, NY. With IBM, George worked on classified defense projects for the U.S. government, and was later employment by Lockheed Martin and Loral Corporation in Silicon Valley, CA. He married Kathleen Sexton of West Newton, MA, in 1952, with whom he had two children, George, Jr. and Robert. His marriage to Kathleen dissolved in 1970, and he married J. Carolyn Mourton that same year. The family moved from Rhinebeck, NY, to Denver, CO. In 1973, George and Carolyn had a daughter, Roxanne. Following George’s work assignments, the family moved again, first to Thousand Oaks, CA, and later settling in Los Gatos, CA, in 1978. George retired from full-time work in 1999. During his retirement, he was an avid reader of spy novels and a phenomenal draftsman. He tended bonsais, and enjoyed cooking with friends involved with the Bacchus and Gourmet clubs of Los Gatos. When his wife Carolyn passed in 2010, George moved to Stamford, CT, to be closer to his daughter and her family. During his long life, George spent much time exploring the California seashore, and indulged generations of Samoyed dogs and Siamese and Abyssinian cats. He loved skiing and playing piano. He had an abundant love of the National Parks, and his offbeat humor will forever be missed by the friends and family he left behind. George was predeceased by his sister Barbara Linkogel (née Collins). He is survived by his daughter Roxanne Vanderbilt (née Collins) and son-in-law Hugh B. Vanderbilt, Jr., grandchildren William and Carolyn Vanderbilt, of Greenwich, CT; son George B. Collins, Jr., daughter-in-law Karen Collins (née Bradley), and granddaughter Lindsay Collins, of Murray, KY; son Robert Collins of Santa Cruz, CA; sister- and-brother-in-law Philippa and Jack Alvis of Monte Sereno, CA; nephew Brad Alvis; niece Joann Alvis (Dan Greenberg) of Cold Spring, NY; Melissa Alvis (John Tomik) of Temecula, CA; great nieces Erin Rubinich and Madolyn Rubinich; great nehew Philip Greenberg. A private memorial for immediate family will be held at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be given in George’s honor to either the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Sierra Club. Condolences may be offered at leopgallaghergreenwich.com.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5