Shirley Jean Brown Collins passed from this life to her eternal reward on August 3rd, 2022, in Shreveport, Louisiana. She was born on June 30th, 1938, in Jena, Louisiana, to the union of Derius Brown and Marie (Parker) Brown.
She married Eddie David Collins in Jena in 1954, and soon afterward they moved to Shreveport where they lived until his passing in 2015. Their union resulted in three children, Darrell Collins of Shreveport, Ron Collins of Stonewall, and Wanda (Collins) Scott of Shreveport. Shirley was a faithful member of the Pentecostals of Bossier City for almost 30 years, and more recently Kings Temple United Pentecostal Church of Shreveport. She also served as Sunday School secretary and as a Sunday School teacher in the churches where she was a member.
David and Shirley owned businesses in Shreveport. She worked both as homemaker and secretary for their businesses. They also enjoyed traveling together, restoring antique automobiles, and showing them at antique car shows.
She is preceded in death by her parents, and her husband of 60 years. She is survived by her sister Barbara Deville, and brother Gordon Brown; her children Darrell Collins and wife Cindy, Ron Collins and wife Suzanne, Wanda Scott and husband Nathan; eight grandchildren – Melonie Triplett (Dathan), Darla McGraw (Tim), James Collins (Audrey), Darron Collins (Chasity), Stephen Scott, Brian Collins (Jennifer), Angela Jones (Justin), and Brent Collins; 19 great grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
Shirley loved her family, loved being with them, and she always asked family members to sing when they were together. She enjoyed going to church, being with her friends at church, reading her Bible, planting and tending to her flowers and plants, her small garden, cooking, and canning jelly, especially Mayhaw jelly – which all of the family dearly loved!
She expressed the sentiments of her heart in something she wrote not too long before her passing.
“My family has been such a great blessing to me since David’s death in 2015. With five of us living on the same street, we are actually living a dream. This is 2021, and we have 38 family members with two more expected next year. Many are involved in the work of the Lord and the Church of Tomorrow. This has been a good life, but Heaven will be greater. As a sweet sister once testified, ‘All this and Heaven too!’”
The memorial service for Shirley will be held at Kings Temple Pentecostal Church, 8951 Kingston Road, Shreveport, Sunday August 7th, at 6:00 PM with Rev. Damon Magee and Rev. Jerry Dean officiating. Visitation will begin at 4:30 PM at Kings Temple Church before the service. She will be interred at the family cemetery in LaSalle Parish on Monday August 8th.
Pallbearers will be James Collins, Darron Collins, Brian Collins, Brent Collins, Justin Jones, Tim McGraw, Stephen Scott, and Dathan Triplett.
Flowers can be sent to the church, or in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following ministries that Shirley loved and supported:
Kingston Christian Academy
8951 Kingston Road
Shreveport, Louisiana 71118
Center Christian Academy
2398 Highway 87 North
Center, Texas 75935
Lighthouse Ranch for Boys
51453 LA-443
Loranger, Louisiana 70446
