William Grover Collins

On December 2, 2016, William “Bill” Grover Collins passed away at home, surrounded by his loving family. He was 78.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bill left his home at age 18, proudly serving his country as a member of the United States Air Force, before settling in Millersville, Md to work for the U.S. Federal Government at Ft. George G. Meade. He worked for the United States Department of Defense for 37 years, until he retired in 1993.

Over the years, Bill pursued many hobbies and maintained memberships in many clubs and volunteer organizations – among them, the Patuxent Lapidary Guild, the Berwyn Rod & Gun Club, the Fort Meade Flying Activity, the Laurel Volunteer Firefighters’ Dive Team, the Chesapeake Gem & Jewelry Society, Political Campaigns, and the American Red Cross Disaster Relief & Blood Drive teams. In addition, Bill enjoyed reading, traveling with loved ones, fishing, hunting, rock-hounding, and meeting friends and family for conversation and stories over good meals at local restaurants.

Bill is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 45 years, Helen Collins (nee Elliott); son, James Collins; daughter, Katrina Collins Houston and son-in-law, Mark Houston; his sisters Georgie Brasfield of Alabama and Margaret Cunningham of Florida, and sister-in-law Linda Elders Collins of Alabama; and a host of beloved relatives and dear friends. Bill Collins was an honorable, loving, just, and caring man. He will be missed very much by all who loved and knew him.

Family will receive friends at the Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory, P.A., 1411 Annapolis Road, Odenton, MD 21113 on Sunday, December 11, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Donaldson Funeral Home Chapel on Monday, December 12, 2016, at 12:00 p.m. Interment will follow at the Chapel at Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville, MD at 1:45pm. There will be a 2:30pm reception to follow, at the Crownsville American Legion.  Dad was a believer in giving, so Toys for Tots and donations of old eye glasses will be welcome and accepted at the wake.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The American Cancer Society, 7500 Greenway Center Drive, Suite 300, Greenbelt, MD 20770, http://www.cancer.org, and the Hospice of the Chesapeake, John and Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD 21122, https://hospicechesapeake.thankyou4caring.org