John Frederick Collins Jr.

Born and raised in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, MA, John was a resident of Alexandria, VA for 35 years. John was the beloved son of the late Mary Cunniff Collins and the late Honorable John F. Collins, former Mayor of the city of Boston. A survivor of polio in his youth, John went on to graduate from North Yarmouth Academy in Maine before attending Stonehill College and Boston University.

At the time of his passing, John was serving as the Director of Healthcare Sciences at Dell EMC. During his impressive 30+ year tenure as a healthcare technology strategist, he was one of the most experienced and dedicated in his field and worked for companies such as Hewlitt Packard and Wang Healthcare Information Systems. John started his career in Boston, MA as head of a real estate investment trust (REIT) with Thomas J. Flatley. He then headed real estate acquisition for Digital Equipment Corporation and later became managing partner of Peregrine White Company, Inc., a corporate real estate brokerage firm.

John had a talent for building relationships and an innate ability to grasp the big picture, allowing him to bring people together like few others could. John was singular in his pursuit of the job at hand, no matter the arena, and his enthusiasm for life was indefatigable. Above all else, John was a storyteller and always had a story for every occasion that would keep everyone smiling even in the midst of a storm.

John enjoyed spending time with his family, walking his dogs, and sailing. His love of the ocean began with good times at Racing Beach at his family home on Cape Cod, MA. John was an avid reader and had a passion for knowledge of all things, especially astronomy, history and politics. John volunteered his time to politicians and elected officials over the years.

John is survived by his wife, Louise Bolling Collins; his children, John F. Collins III and Elizabeth Bolling Collins; his sister, Patricia Collins Potter of Wilmington, NC; his brother, Thomas Francis Collins (husband of Patricia Lewando Collins) of Sandwich, MA; as well as many nieces, nephews, and their children. John was predeceased by his sister Margaret “Peg” Agnes Collins.

Funeral Mass in celebration of John’s life will be held on January 8, 2022 at 10:30 am at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1315 36th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007. Masks are required. The family respectfully requests attendees be vaccinated or tested for COVID before attending. If you are sick please stay home.

John worked to bring mental health awareness to the forefront of the healthcare industry. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate in John’s honor to one of the projects he championed at Drexel University, the Center for Family Intervention Sciences. drexel.edu/givenow (Select designation ‘Other’ and then type Center for Family Intervention Sciences in the description)