Lorene Collins 96, passed from this life peacefully on November 28th, 2018. She was born April 6th, 1922 in Upland, Arkansas to William & Bessie Patterson. During childhood her family moved to East Texas where she attended Sabine Schools making many lifelong friends. She graduated in 1939. She attended Kilgore College and graduated from Texas A&I College in Kingsville, TX receiving her bachelor of arts degree. She lived and worked in Colorado and New Mexico and then returned to Kilgore, teaching at Kilgore Heights Elementary. Lorene married the the love of her life Edward Collins on April 24th, 1948. They moved to Longview and had 3 children; James, Cindy, & Jeannie. She was a faithful member of Alpine Church of Christ beginning her membership at the church’s first Longview location at Second and Whaley Street. She worked as an elementary teacher as well as a special education teacher in the Longview Independent School District for over 30 years. She taught at Pinewood Park Elementary, G.K. Foster Elementary, the Student Development Center, & as the sole homebound teacher for LISD. While she was teaching & well into her retirement family members could be seen on Sunday afternoon enjoying her famous fried chicken that has yet to be duplicated as well as hotcakes and other items that comprised a made to order breakfast feast prepared for visiting grandchildren. While she was a great cook, she would quickly object to any assertion that she “loved” to cook inferring she was motivated by her love for her family and desire to provide for them.
After a 16 year bout with Alzheimer’s she has gone to see the Lord. She will be deeply missed and family members each cherish their own unique memories of this kind, selfless, gentle woman. Because of Christ we now celebrate her freedom as she is physically and mentally restored and reunited with her husband, father, mother, & loved ones.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years Edward Collins; parents William Patterson and Bessie (Dettenheim) Patterson; brothers Donald Patterson, Neil Patterson, Otho Patterson; sister Nancy Patterson May. Left to cherish her memory are her children James Collins of Caddo Lake, Cindy (Gil) Jackson of Longview, & Jeannie (David) Rodriguez of Gilmer; grandchildren Melissa (Casey) Kutch of White Oak; Jason Jackson of Cabot, AR; Jonathan (Ashley) Morgan of White Oak; 8 great-grandchildren Kandace Hillman, Seth Kutch, Jaicey Kutch, Olivia Kutch, Scarlett Jackson, Caden Tyner, Taylor Morgan, & Aniston Morgan; and a host of extended family & friends. A special thanks to the caregivers who added joy to her life by making her life more comfortable through their actions and words. In lieu of flowers, if desired, donations may be made to Medina Children’s Home or Alpine Church of Christ Honduras Missions.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 1, 2018, at the Chapel of Lakeview Funeral Home, with a time of visitation and sharing with her family immediately following the services in the gathering room at the funeral home. Entombment will be in the Lakeview Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.
