Glen Collins

Glen William “Bill” Collins died Friday, February 16 in Lebanon. He was 90 years old. Bill was born in Maysville, Kentucky on July 15, 1933 to John and Viola Collins, the second born of six children. When he was a child, the family moved to the Farmersville, Ohio area. His dad was a farmer and Bill enjoyed the outdoors and the hard work involved in farming. Many of his stories reflected the harshness of that life, like the time he got kicked in the stomach by a horse or when he stepped on a nail and it went through his foot. With no hospital or advanced medicine available, the doctor just made a house call, administered merthiolate to open wounds, wrapped them and life went on. One of the greatest sorrows of Bill’s life was the loss of not one but two young brothers, John Nelson and Stephen, who both died before the age of six. Near the end of his life, he expressed how he looked forward to heaven for two reasons: seeing Jesus and seeing his brothers again.

Bill served in the army from 1953-1955 and shortly after that he met Janet Gansheimer and they married in 1957. They lived in Franklin, Ohio where they raised their three boys, Steve, Tim and Tom. Bill worked as an auto mechanic for 20 years. He then got a job at Armco Steel in Middletown where he worked in masonry for 23 years before retiring. During those years he served as scout master for his sons’ troop and they enjoyed many camping trips, canoeing and other outdoor adventures. Bill also loved taking the family on vacations and they traveled often to Florida. One of his fondest memories was the day he and Janet decided to go to Florida on the spur of the moment, so they packed the car and surprised the boys by picking them up at school and asking “do you want to go to Florida---right now?”. Of course, the answer was “YES!”. They also did family vacations out west, enjoying Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, California and even a short trip in to Tijuana, Mexico. Bill and Janet continued this love of travel in his retirement years. They had an RV and enjoyed Florida in the winter and travel around the country the rest of the year, especially trips out west.

Later in life, Bill set up a shed in the backyard with woodworking tools and was a gifted woodworker. He made chests, quilt racks, tables, and shelves. Most recently, he helped his grandson, Ian, design and make a ring box for the engagement ring Ian had bought for his fiancé. In his travels with Janet, Bill learned a game called “Marbles”, which was a combination of Aggravation and Trouble played with decks of cards and marbles on a wood board. He created a pattern and started making the boards, complete with card decks and marbles and gave them out to friends and family. In later years, as friends and family taught others the game, he made more boards to share. Many people will be enjoying the fruits of his labor with family and friends for years to come.

Bill was preceded in death by his sisters Virginia, Jean and Jeanette, brothers John Nelson and Stephen, and daughter-in-law Sharon Collins, wife of Tom Collins. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Janet Gansheimer Collins; sons Stephen (Marlene) Collins, Tim Collins and Tom Collins; grandsons Keith (Ashley) Collins, Ian (Maria) Collins, Joel (Joy) Collins; granddaughters Jackie (Curtis) Hubbard and Lynne (Jonathan) Zavodney; and great grandchildren Lily Collins, William Collins and Clara Collins.

In this time of sorrow, we rejoice that Bill (Dad) is at home with the Lord Jesus.

A visitation for Glen will be held Thursday, February 22, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Anderson Funeral Homes Springboro, 40 North Main Street, Springboro, OH 45066, followed by a funeral service at 12:00 PM with burial in Springboro Cemetery.