Jonetta Irene Collins

Jonetta Irene Collins, aka “Jay” to her friends, was born on November 21, 1945. She was the eldest child of Harold Frederick Wallace and Mavis Theresa Hitchins of Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Garfield High School in 1964, where she loved participating in campus leadership and extracurriculars like the Pep Squad. She was full of energy and loved to sing and dance. Jonetta loved to host parties at the house and plan special events for friends and loved ones. She had a generous and engaging spirit and loved being “the big sister” to her many siblings. All she wanted to do was to make people happy in her presence.

After high school, she attended and graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Administration. Along her journey, she met and married Jacob Earl Collins of Shreveport, Louisiana via Seattle, and she nurtured numerous memories in their years together as a young couple. She traveled with dad throughout the United States to meet both her side of the family and his. Dad still recounts her brave entrance into those murky Shreveport, Louisiana waters before she caught sight of the wildlife swimming around her. He says that you never saw somebody move so fast. Soon after marrying, they had a daughter named Ginger, after her grandmother’s favorite dancing actress, Ginger Rogers. Both Jonetta and Jacob had careers that took them in different directions, but their bond remained strong for Ginger’s upbringing.

Her career spanned more than 30 years with the Food and Drug Administration, which first begun in Seattle, and then transferred her to Southern California in the summer of 1979 – a move that she had desired for years. Jonetta drove her Datsun 240z for two days from Seattle to Santa Ana, CA, with Ginger in the passenger seat sleeping most of the way when she was not staring out of the window at the changing landscape along the way. Shortly before midnight, she pulled into her mother’s driveway and her younger brother, Virtrum, carried a half-sleeping 7 ½ year old Ginger into the house. Jonetta and Ginger first lived in Orange, CA, where she enrolled her at St. Callistus Catholic School, and soon found a location for Ginger to continue practicing gymnastics. She awaited visits from friends and family because she loved her house and the ability to share herself, and her joy for California, with them.

Jonetta was a consummate professional and she truly enjoyed what she did for a living. She had a fun-loving, artistic spirit and her hands were always doing something. She liked interior decorating, creating art with pinecones, cooking, gardening, and traveling. If there was a food, art, or music festival, she was there. If Alvin Ailey’s Dance Company was coming into town, she made sure to buy tickets. She was always a smartly-dressed woman, who made a point to “look good.” She loved to snack during movie watching and enjoyed her Kit Kat’s and Almond Joy’s. Jonetta made every effort to show her gratitude by offering invitations for brunch (she loved to make quiche or potato salad) or making someone a lemon meringue pie.

She received several awards while working at the FDA and attended numerous conferences around the U.S. Whether it was Seattle, Atlanta, or Minnesota, she was proud to represent her profession. If someone was getting married, she wanted to be there. If a niece or nephew was graduating, she was excited to shout in the stands for their accomplishment. She wanted to celebrate the moments that make life memorable.

Retirement left her with mixed feelings, but she kept in touch with numerous close friends and came to enjoy the free time that she had to plan trips to Seattle, visit extended family, drive out to Sedona, AZ, or go on cruises with her girlfriends, who lived out of state. Jonetta loved random hugs. She giggled regardless of her age, and she had fun seeing that her laugh was contagious. After grandma passed, she was the glue that held the family together.

Jonetta is survived by three younger brothers (David, Virtrum, and Charles) and one younger sister (Charlotte), who all reside in the Washington or Oregon area. She has two daughters (Ginger and Necole) and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren from Necole. Her two furry friends who came to her yard and found their home (Harry and Nico) reminded her that her love for animals never left her. She also leaves many cousins, friends, aunts, nephews and nieces . Her love knows no bounds and her memory will last forever.

Mom, you will be missed for an eternity until we are all able to meet again. You are so beloved and a gift to us all. May you live forever in our hearts.