Marjorie "Jerry" Collins

We invite you to celebrate the beautiful life of Jerry Collins, aged 79 years and 320 days (born Marjorie Pistorino in Boston, Mass): a wife, a mother, a friend, a teacher, and for a time a living fixture of Sandwich village.

Please take a walk with us. We start at her home of 52 years. Bill, her husband, was always at her side. Take 57 steps for the wedded years they celebrated together. Maybe we’ll walk toward the Boardwalk.

Jerry’s thoughts are of the sky, the life around her, and perhaps what the town could do to fix the sidewalks. Her thoughts turn to her three children: Bill, Tim and Matt. (William L. Collins and partner Lisa; Timothy R. Collins and wife Sara; and Matthew Collins with wife Gina) And then her grandchildren - alphabetical order please - Aidan, Alex, Cam, Eleanor, Jax, Liam, Lucy, Rosemary and Spencer. Her sisters (Carol Ann Pistorino, deceased, and Jean Malaquias and her husband Ron of Plymouth) and nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews are also remembered. Her many great friends might stop them in their walk just to chat.

For half a century in the village, Jerry smiled and laughed, and made friends with wonderful neighbors, newcomers and all the children she taught at the Wing School and Oakridge School. Some of those students brought their kids back to her classroom decades later. The birds and critters that visited her yard were welcome as well, though she did wish that the rabbits had better manners. She filled the yard with flowers that bloomed as much as they could.

We think now of where to head next. Jerry will get there first. She and Bill were often out traveling when they were not welcoming people to their home. When he first wanted to travel and said “Long Island?”Jerry said “No, we're going to Paris.” Their adventure carried on to select parts of the world, especially Europe. Sicily was the brightest spot of dozens of trips. When you adventure, you might want to bring back a memory. Jerry’s (and Bill’s) Eclectic Collection includes shells, beach glass and a few small images, always made by someone local. Any item might spark a topic of conversation during dinner. Friends and family were always visiting for a meal. She lived her 28 years of bonus time after a heart attack to find lovely memories.

Staying local for today, Jerry would have thought of inviting you for a sail on Brisa, the boat that she captained for many years. Under bright skies, filled with seabirds, she put her hand on the tiller to explore Buzzard’s Bay’s blue green fathoms. Of course, she and co-captain husband Bill kept Brisa safe in the yard for the winter. During winter, as she was an accomplished woman, she sometimes sewed, sometimes painted ornaments for her family, and made sure that she had knit every child and grandchild a Christmas stocking. Before achieving a Master’s degree from Lesley College, Jerry received a Bachelor of Arts from Boston State College. As her Cardinal Cushing high school yearbook said: “Glib of tongue and wide of eye, Jerry looks but isn’t shy.”

Jerry told us all how much she loved us, and how fortunate she and Bill were together. The calling hours are Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 1-4 PM at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 154 Mass Route 6-A, Sandwich, Massachusetts. Private interment will be at Milton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association. Information is available on www.heart.org/donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nickersonbournefh.com for the Collins family.