Ronald Daniel Collins

Ron was one of the most giving people you would ever meet – he was always happy to help others out any way he could. He was born on the 3rd of November, 1932 in Pukwana, South Dakota, to Rose Collins (nee Reinhart) and Daniel William Collins, then raised in Chicago with his younger brothers Thomas Joseph Collins and Daniel James Collins.

Ron had an early love of working with cars, which later led to his pursuit of a Civil Engineering degree from University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). Following graduation in 1955, he would join the Army later that year, then begin a 46-year career as an Army civilian starting on a Mississippi river barge with the Corps of Engineers, culminating in serving as one of the lead engineers responsible for the Army’s roads and grounds throughout the US. During his career, he earned two more degrees, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and an MBA. He retired from the Headquarters, US Army Forces Command at Ft. McPherson in 2001.

In April 26, 1958, he married his wife of over 65 years, Jacqueline Gail Collins (nee Lang). The young couple moved from Chicago to Arlington Heights, IL, then San Antonio, TX, then off to Atlanta, where he lived in the same house for 50 years. He insisted that he would live in his Atlanta home for the rest of his life and determined to the end, he did see this through. Following his retirement, Ron became actively involved in the Knights of Columbus, Habitat for Humanity and the Lenten fish fry fundraising dinners at his church at All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, making many dear friends along the way.

Ron never forgot his farming roots, working a ‘small’ plot of land each year and raising far more vegetables than the neighborhood could absorb. Through most of his retirement, Ron and Jackie enjoyed a charmed life of international travel, visiting sites all over western and eastern Europe.

Ron is survived by his wife Jackie; his son Kenneth and his wife Marianna; grandson Matthew. His other son David predeceased him, but Ron is also survived by his wife Ann and grandson Michael.

The family will receive friends, Thursday, September 14, 2023 from 6 to 8 o’clock at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. A Funeral Mass will be Friday, September 15, 2023 at 2 o’clock at All Saints Catholic Church, 2443 Mount Vernon Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338. The interment will follow at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mount Vernon Hwy NW, Sandy Springs GA 30328.