Ronald C. "Ron" Collins

Ronald C. “Ron” Collins, 86, of Harlan, Indiana passed away on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Ron was born on July 20, 1939, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a son of the late Edward Clarence and Edith (Blough) Collins. Ron's early school years were spent in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He later earned his Bachelor degree in Physics from the University of Puerto Rico. He received his Doctorate from the McCormick Theological Seminary, in Chicago, Illinois.

Ron served as a pastor of congregations in the Bronx, New York, Chicago, Goshen, Indiana, Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. He worked as a professor of Religion, Spanish, and Physics at the Goshen College. He was most recently a member of the Fairhaven Mennonite Church, Fort Wayne. Ron met his wife, Betty Lou Collins, while serving for the Mennonite Voluntary Service in Puerto Rico.

Surviving family also include his children, Debbie Collins, Linda (Doug) Greeson, and Steve (Dru) Collins; grandchildren, Holly (Justin) Bortner, Taryn (Dan) Fleming, Jeff (Brittyn) Greeson, Julie, Joel, Gabe, Hope, and Molly Greeson, Laura Howell, Joshua (Danielle) Nunez, Amanda (Nathan) Abbs, Caleb (Krysten) Nunez, Jordan Collins, Kaleigh (Jordan) Yoder, and Zach (Brielle) Collins; 19 great grandchildren; and a brother-in-law, Don Showalter. Besides his parents, he was preceded in passing by his siblings, June Marie Weaver, Robert Collins, and Marlene Showalter.

A funeral service celebrating Ron's life will be 11:00 am on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Hockemeyer Funeral Home, 17629 State Road 37, Harlan, with visitation one hour prior. Visitation will also be from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday, May 8, 2026, at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mennonite Central Committee: https://mcc.org/. Condolences and memories of Ron may be left online at www.hockemeyerfuneralhome.com

The funeral service can be viewed online via the Fairhaven Mennonite Church's youtube page at, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nUp5GXvQKAfcGs19nOFog