Alice was preceded in death by husband Marion T. Collins, her mother, Ardella Waits Welch, father John Ira Welch, stepfather Adam Rankin Welch, sisters Virginia, Lucy, and Inez, brothers Samuel, Ira, Ezra, Conley, Ray, Orthel, and John and a great-granddaughter, Ashley Webb.
She was survived by her sister, Della Marie (May) Bartlett of Cordova; Children Carolyn Ann Collins Webb (Bobby) of Cordova, Marion Thomas Collins, Jr. (Martha) of Franklin, Michael Edward Collins (Marva) of Nashville and John Steven Collins (Gail) of Knoxville.; 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren; nephew J. O. McGovern and many other nephews, nieces and extended family.
Alice was born August 22, 1919 in Grant Parish, Louisiana, the tenth child of John Ira (John) and Ardella (Della) Waits Welch. She was living in Monticello, Louisiana at the time of the disaster known as the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The river reached a width of 60 miles. Her father died in August 1933 when she was just fourteen. The family broke apart and Alice moved in with relatives moving to Memphis where she met and eventually married Marion Collins in 1937.
Alice was a home maker but worked on-and-off throughout her life. She was always someone people turned to for advice and for help. In 2009, she wrote the following:
We shared our home with many folks along the way and always made room for anyone needing a lift in life. The Journey has been a long one and although we have had a few bumps along the way, we made it and now we are almost there.
Alice was a longtime member of Trinity Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi. A private family burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery with a memorial to be announced for a later date. Contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105 or to Memphis Jewish Home and Rehab, 36 Bazeberry Road, Cordova, Tennessee 38018.
