Richard M. Collins 1955-2008

RYAN, COLLINS, TEKIPPE, EHR, FOUST, LAWLER, MALONE, LAUGHLIN, EVERS, SCHEIDEL

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 5/4/2008 at 08:30:37

Richard M. Collins

Richard M. "Rick' Collins passed away on March 10, 2008, surrounded by his family after a long and courageous battle with multiple sclerosis.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 15, 2008, at Nativity Church, with the Rev. Mark Osterhaus, the Rev. Dwayne Thomas and the Rev. Donald Bakewell officiating. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14, at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road, where there will be a wake service at 7:30 p.m.

He was born on June 29, 1955, in Maquoketa, the son of Loras and Catherine (Ryan) Collins, and raised on the family farm, west of Zwingle. He married Anita TeKippe on Oct. 9, 1982, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rickardsville. They were blessed with two children.

He started his education in a one-room schoolhouse in Zwingle. When that closed, he moved on to attend St. Columbkille in Dubuque and later graduated from both Wahlert High School and Loras College.

Rick was a loan officer and later a branch manager at Dupaco Community Credit Union. His disability forced him to quit work in 1996, but he remained a loyal fan of Dupaco until the end. His weekly lunches with Dupaco friends were a highlight for him over the years and much appreciated by his family.

Rick enjoyed playing many sports, including softball, basketball and bowling, but his passion in life was baseball. He was a co-founder and past president of the Zwingle Recreation Association and secretary-treasurer for the Prairie League Baseball Association for more than 15 years. He loved coaching and playing baseball for the Zwingle Suns. His pitching talents allowed him to play in area tournaments for many different teams. Rick was very proud of his 1995 induction into the Dubuque County Baseball Hall of Fame and enjoyed watching his induction tape on a daily basis.

Mickey Mantle, of the New York Yankees, and Bob Hoefer, of Dupaco, were Rick's biggest heroes, He was convinced that Mickey and Bob shared the same birthday!

He was a member of Nativity Catholic Church.

Despite his illness, his faith never wavered over the years. Rick always said, "You have to play with the cards the Lord dealt you," and he played a lot of cards in recent years, particularly euchre and "kings-in-the-corner."

He also enjoyed watching sports on television, especially the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Iowa Hawkeyes and the Dallas Cowboys.

Rick enjoyed the love of his wife, children, parents, sisters, in-laws and his many relatives and dear friends, and he cherished his time with them. He will be missed by all who loved him.

Surviving are his loving wife, Anita, and their children, Kari, of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Tim, of Platteville, Wis.; his parents, Loras and Catherine Collins, of Dubuque; his sisters, Colleen (Jim) Ehr, of Fredericksburg, Sharon (Gene/Jim) Foust, of Dubuque, and Marilyn (Jack) Lawler, of Zwingle; his mother-in-law, Luella TeKippe, of Dubuque; the TeKippe in-laws; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Michael and Ella (Malone) Ryan and Roy and Katie (Laughlin) Collins; his nephews, Keith Foust and Jeffrey Evers; his father-in-law, Benedict TeKippe; and his brother-in-law, John Scheidel.

Ricks family wishes to thank the administration of Sunnycrest Manor and their staff for their dedicated support and loving care during his illness. All the people associated with Hospice of Dubuque, also to the many doctors and nurses who have helped throughout Rick's illness, especially Dr. Schreiber, Dr. Sloan, Dr. Janus and Dr. Noseworthy.

Copyright (c) Woodward Communications, Inc. 2008, All Rights Reserved. Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Thursday, March 13, 2008