David A. Collins

COLLINS, David A.
Portage, MI David A. Collins, Sr., 80, of Portage passed away October 7, 2011. He was born January 9, 1931 in Caribou, Maine, the youngest of four sons of Samuel and Elizabeth Black Collins. He graduated from Caribou High School and followed family tradition by attending the University of Maine where he earned a BA in French. While there he met his first wife, Vera Eleanor Edfors, because of a mutual love of music. They married on June 23, 1953. She proceeded him in death on April 16, 2006. The couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut where David earned a MA from Yale University. After a three year stint teaching at the Denver Country Day School in Denver, Colorado, David completed his PhD at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He taught at the University of New Hampshire while finishing his doctoral dissertation . In 1963 he transferred to Kalamazoo College where he headed the Romance Language Department until his retirement in 1996. He was an active member of the Alliance Fran�aise. David touched the lives of many of his students and was recognized for his excellence in teaching with the Florence J. Lucasse Award. In 1970, David took a sabbatical from Kalamazoo College to live for a year in Strasbourg, France in what was to be a formative experience for the entire family. David expressed his passion for music by performing with Vera with the Madrigal singers, the Bach Chorale, the Kalamazoo Singers and an abundance of singing at the Collins family home, often accompanied by Vera on the piano. David also maintained a lifelong passion for tennis. No matter his health, he played doubles, even if needing a cane or a wheelchair. David was a lifelong member of the Unitarian Universalist Church where he met his second wife, Diane Downing. They were married November 28, 2008 on Thanksgiving Day. David was at heart a happy and caring man who loved to share freely with his family and friends, and was in turn much loved by them. He maintained his sense of humor, which was both mischievous and generous, to his final days. In addition to his wife, David is survived by his children Sheryl Tom Schrot of Stephenson, Michigan, David Jr. Joyce Bailey of Windham, Maine, Mark Genie of Andover, Massachusetts, Peter Mary Anne of Brentwood, Tennessee and Amy Sharon Marrell of Lakewood, Ohio; grandchildren Erin Jason Schrot Dill, Tim Schrot, David Collins III, Crista Collins Danny Krotoro, Meghan Collins, Eric, Elle and Emma Collins and Taiesha Collins, two great-grandchildren Ashley and Trevor Dill and brothers Samuel Dorothy of Rockland, Maine and Donald Pat of Caribou, Maine. He was preceded in death by brother Herschel Douglas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, Kalamazoo Singers or People's Church. A memorial service celebrating David's life will be held on November 13 at 4:00 p.m. at People's Church, 1758 N. 10th Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49009.