Linda Darlene Collins

Linda Darlene Collins passed away on June 24th, 2017 after a long battle with neuroendocrine cancer. She was 70. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Collins. She is survived by her sisters, Beverly (Frank) Christeson and Arnelle Grobe, as well as three daughters, Michelle (Jim) Reifschneider, Donna (Matt) Graham, Christina (Erik) Pedersen, and six grandchildren, Joshua (Hannah) Knapp, Trey, Coby and Hannah Graham, Samantha Goure and Dylan Proal. Linda was born in Pasedena, CA in 1947, and grew up in St. Louis, MO. She worked for many years as a medical office manager in Pueblo, CO. Her greatest joy was her children and grandchildren, and she never failed to attend their events and cheer them on in their pursuits. Her sense of humor was wonderful and our memories of her funny stories will be treasured. She loved her Bosom Buddies Support Group friends and enjoyed her time socializing with them. She enjoyed traveling and took many trips with her sisters and friends over the years. She also enjoyed gardening and her beloved dog Mac. Special thanks to her dear friends Judy and Diane for all their love and support, as well as Dr. Liu from Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, Dr. Headley, and the staff at the Joni Fair Hospice House. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, June 30th at 2pm at TG McCarthy Funeral Home.

Memorial Service Eulogy

Written by Daughter, Christina Pedersen

Those that truly know my mom, know that she was a force. A force of fun, joy and happiness and also of strength, perseverance and courage. Even in her later years as a cute little old lady, she wasn’t someone you would want to mess with. And most know or quickly found out that crossing her children or grandchildren was not a good idea. She was fiercely loyal and as her daughters we knew that we would never face anything alone. She was a rescuer when we needed her most, a supporter when we needed a boost and a listener when our days just weren’t great. Here spirit was fun and goofy. She never missed an opportunity to play with her grandchildren whether it was walks to the playground and mini four wheelers with the grandsons or tea parties and makeup sessions with her granddaughters, Grandma always said yes! She was the first to sneak in contraband like Cheese Puffs and Oreos when we moms would say no. In fact, after hearing that her “Mimi” was in heaven, her youngest grandbaby asked, “Well who is going to buy me cheese puffs?” And it’s amazing how well she could lie when she promised not to feed them any sweets, knowing she was going to do whatever she wanted. She always did what she wanted. That was our Mom.

Coming from simple means she was a hard worker and always worked to keep the household going. She was so happy when she purchased her little townhome on the Southside of Pueblo 9 years ago. It was the first home that we got to see our mom truly make her own. She remodeled and painted the walls beautiful blue and teal colors. She surrounded herself with her angel collection, momentous items and pictures of all that she loved. All-it-be small it was her perfect little sanctuary and she loved it. In retirement she spent her time relaxing, she loved walking her dog Mac, listening to the wind chimes and birds in her backyard, watching scary movies with her grandkids, going to the movies or “show” (as she called it) with her beloved friends and attending countless sporting events (ball games, dance recitals and cheer competitions) cheering on her very active grandchildren. Her feisty side would often come out at the ballfield. There was no use trying to quiet her when she would scream “Easy Out” sitting right next to the other team’s parents. The best defense was to pretend you didn’t know her. She truly didn’t have a thought or care about it. She never tried to impress anyone. When her youngest daughter would make fun of one of her outfits, she would joke that she was going to write it into her Will that that daughter would have to wear that exact outfit to her funeral. Thank goodness that never actually happened.

Though we all feel that 70 years is just not long enough, she told us that she felt like she had a full life. She lived in many beautiful places: California, Missouri, Alaska, Virginia and Colorado. She had wonderful opportunities to travel including cruises with mother, sister and brother-in-law and a trip to Europe with her best friends. She had many amazing friends, co-workers and neighbors that truly cared about her, some dating back over 55 years. Others who she met through her 23 year battle with cancer and who supported her in ways that only other survivors could. And her happiest and greatest achievement of all was having wonderful Grandchildren. She was so very proud of each of them and held a bond with them that could never be broken, even with death. Her spirit is alive in our homes. Her funny sayings and goofy stories are part of our everyday lives and they always will be. When we look in the mirror each morning we see our Mom. We know that she will continue to walk with us through life, just as she did when she was alive.

Our Mom experienced much struggle and much loss in her life but she persisted when many people thought she couldn’t. In the final weeks, she told us that her Mother used to always say that “Every dark cloud has a silver lining” and that it was true. She said that she had learned a lot in her 70 years and she learned a lot of it the hard way. She told us that the most important thing was to find happiness in every day and we plan to honor her advice. Happiness was her final gift to us and it will be valued forever.

She had a deep faith in God and felt very connected with her loved ones that passed before her. She often spoke to them and believed deeply that they answered. We believe that she is now our angel. We will speak to her often and we believe that she will answer. She can be found in the chirping of the birds outside our windows, the wind chimes in the breeze, the rainbow light reflection dancing on our ceilings, the unexpected beauty of a passing butterfly and in the laughter and smiles of our children, until the day that she greets us again in heaven.

This is our Mom, Linda Darlene Collins…a Fighter, a Laugher, a Lover and now an Angel.