Gerald Collins, 66, of College Station, passed away Friday, February 11, 2011, in San Antonio. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2011, at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home in Bryan. A funeral ceremony celebrating his life will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, February 16, at Lighthouse Bible Church in Bryan. Interment will be at 9:30 a.m., Friday, February 18, at the Houston VA Cemetery with full military honors.
Gerald was born March 21, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York, to Archibald and Anna Stapleton Collins. He has lived in this area since 1973, and he attended Lighthouse Bible Church in Bryan. Gerald was known by many as the door greeter as Sam’s Club, and he was a mailman in College Station for thirty years.
Preceding Gerald in death were his parents; his brothers, Gordon, Jerome, Thomas, Gregory, Eddie; and his great granddaughter, Kiera Marie Morales.
Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Kitty Collins, of College Station, Texas; sons and daughters-in-law, Shawn and Toni Collins, of Magnolia, Texas, Shane Collins, of Bryan, Texas, Eric Hallmark, of Madisonville, Texas, Timothy and Jennifer Collins, of Pottstown, PA, Aaron Hallmark, of Odessa, Texas, Doug Hallmark, of Harahan, La.; daughter and son-in-law, Shana and Jeffry Hobson, of Bryan, Texas; sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and Wayne Nichols, of Hempstead, Texas; thirteen grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at 811 W. Evergreen Ave. Ste. 303, Chicago, Illinois 60642.
I’m so sorry for your loss. May God be with you & your family.
Melinda Castoria
Our thoughts are with you at this sad time. We hope that happy memories of your life with Gerald will help comfort you.
I will miss his smile, his laugh and his hope. Bless you as you think of all your wonderful years with Gerald.
I was deeply saddened to hear of your loss. May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared, comfort you now and in the days ahead. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Kelly
From myself, Christina and the girls we will miss you Uncle more than I can express…so I will leave you in the hands of those more capable than me:
Go n-eírí an bóthar leat.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
—————————————-
God’s Present’s
If my path be smooth or rugged
If with thorns or roses strewn
Where I go the Father seeith
And He will leave me not alone
If I take the wings of morning
far within the giant sea
Even there His hand will lead me
Even there my God will be
Though the gloom of night be round me
Though I cannot see my way
Yet the Lord will see and guide me
Because unto Him the night is day
If my thoughts are good or evil
Set me think to hide them not
there is one above all seeing
And He beholdth every thought
And ever more my eyes beholds me
And all my ways to Him are known
And His loving arms enfolds me
He will leave me not alone
God’s Presents was written by Blanche Bridge on 2/11/1884
We love you Uncle Gerald and you will always be in our hearts! I will tell the girls stories about you and they will know you too.
Love,
Kevin, Christina, Lillian and Delaney
May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared, comfort you now and in the days ahead
Kitty, I want you to know that you are loved and we are praying for you. Gerald will be greatly missed but we all know that he is whole and happy with his Father! I pray that God will wrap His loving arms around you and give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. We love you, Mil, Angie and Brooke
Aunt Kitty, We are praying you find comfort in the Lord and take comfort in knowing that Uncle Gerald is welcomed in heaven by his loving family. I can just imagine the antics the Collins boys are causing up there and the Good Lord is getting a kick out of it. We love you.
Maria, Reyes, Edward & Brian
We were so saddened to hear of Gerald’s passing. He was a sweet guy and I know he loved his family very much.
Good-bye “whistling mailman”.
All our love and prayers are with you.
Mike and Sandy Jadlowski
Sorry to hear of Gerald’s passing , I got to know him first as a member of Sam’s Club and then as an associate.He will be greatly missed my prayers and thoughts are with the family.
We were so sorry to hear about your loss. Just know that Gerald is now in the arms of our loving father and pain free. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, Rod, Yvonne, & Collin Reuter (nurse BVWC)
We feel blessed to have had Jerry and Kitty as our neighbors for 20 years. Jerry always had a friendly greeting for us and we enjoyed solving the world’s problems with him out in the front yard. We shared a love of dogs with him and he considered our Abby and Bailey his buddies. He will be missed.
We know that you are already missing your fathers physical presence but he will always be with you in your heart and soul. Our deepest sympathy for you and your family from everyone at Hi-Sierra Development. May God bless you all.
He was always a bright smile when I shopped at Sam’s. I’m sorry for your loss.
We are so sorry to hear of your loss and pray that God’s comfort and peace will be with you during this difficult time.
Gerald was a joy to so many, many people with his gracious spirit and good will as we checked out of Sam’s. He was a great guy and perfect in his job there! We had been concerned about his absence and were so very sorry to learn about your loss. Please know that his presence in that job helped many experience a nicer day.
Kitty, Shawn, Shane, Shana, and Timothy;
I was sadden to hear of the loss of this great servant of our Lord! I remember inspirational conversation I personally had with Gerald while attending church with all of you, before I went into the military. I have many fond memories of hanging out with y’all and him. Words can never express my thoughts, nor can they comfort you during this time. Rest assured that he is at peace and enjoying the comforts that God has promised to each of us. Also feel comfort in knowing that we will be rejoined with him in paradise, one day. My thoughts and prayers are with each of you! May God bring comfort to you during this time of need.
Yours in Christ;
DeWayne
512-269-9286
Dear family, I did not know Gerald well but I looked forward to seeing him anytime I was at Sam’s or whenever he was in our restaurant. He was a man of God and I could see Jesus living in him. He spoke to me of his faith often. I expect with certaincy to see him again! God bless you all in your time of missing him. I do too….ken martin
Kitty and family, I offer my sympathy for the loss of Gerald. He was always a friend at the post office and Sam’s. Good luck and cherish the memories. Russell and Kris
We were very sorry to read about Gerald in the newspaper. He always made us feel so welcome at church and always a quick visit when we checked out of Sam’s. We know at last he is safe in the arms of Jesus. His family will be in our prayers.
Kitty, My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. It has been over 23 years since I have seen you and Gerald. He was always kind and smiling. I know you loved him dearly.