USAF (Ret.) Col. Cary A. Collins

Col. Cary A. Collins, USAF (Ret.), age 52, went peacefully to meet the Lord on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at his home in San Antonio. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 25, 1963. Cary met his future wife Cheryl in first grade. Sixteen years later, on December 28, 1985, they married at St. John's Catholic Church in South Milwaukee. They immediately left for Cary's first military assignment at Andrew's Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he served as a Medical Service Corp Officer. Throughout his 27-year career in the Air Force, Cary was a highly decorated military and Iraqi War veteran. He retired from Randolph Air Force Base San Antonio in 2012 as a full-bird colonel. Cary earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1985 and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington at Seattle in 1994. Cary served his beloved parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Antonio, in numerous capacities, including acting as the President of the Pastoral Council, 4th Degree in the Knights of Columbus and Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. He helped launch That Man Is You, a men's ministry, and participated in ACTS and Couples Shared Prayer retreats, Teams of Our Lady, Theology of the Body and various other ministries. Cary considered his greatest life's achievements to be fatherhood to his two beautiful daughters, Jessica and Kimberly, and doting husband to treasured wife Cheryl. Cary, endowed with a servant's heart, will be remembered most for his humility and service to family, friends and co-workers alike, as well as his cooking and baking talents.

Col. Collins is survived by his wife, Cheryl Collins; daughters, Jessica and Kimberly Collins; mother, Leila Frink and husband Richard; father, Raymond Collins, sister, Kathy Meyers; brothers Kenneth Collins and wife, Meegan; Gregg Collins and wife, Mary; parents-in-law Thomas and Charlotte Dantzman; sisters-in-law, MaryBeth Nehls and husband Patrick; and Cathy Bruening and husband Joerg; brothers-in-law Greg Dantzman and wife Deanna; and Tom Dantzman; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family will receive visitors from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 11th, at Porter Loring Mortuary North followed immediately by a Rosary. Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Oscar Tello-Curiel at 10:00 a.m. Monday, October 12, 2015 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Stone Oak. Interment will follow at 11:30 A.M. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with Deacon Mike Cleary to officiate. There will be a luncheon to celebrate Cary's life immediately afterward at Holy Trinity Banquet Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Allied Women's Center, a pro-life organization which encourages women to make life-affirming decisions.