Collins, John I. (1914-2001

COLLINS, ALGER, NASH

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/30/2007 at 15:44:50

MAPLETON, Iowa -- John I. Collins, 87, of Mapleton died Monday, Dec. 31, 2001, at Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton.

Services will be 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Mapleton, with the Rev. Bob Fritzmeier officiating. Burial will be in Kingsley Cemetery, Kingsley, Iowa. Visitation will be after 2 p.m. today, with a prayer service at 8 p.m., at Armstrong Funeral Home in Mapleton.

John Iliff Collins was born July 25, 1914, in Kingsley, the son of John and Laurel (Alger) Collins. While working in sales in Nebraska, John met Elizabeth Nash, whom he married on Jan. 12, 1938, in Kearney, Neb.

The couple moved to Sioux City, where John worked at Sears, managing the farm department. In 1943, John and Elizabeth moved to the Kingsley area, where John was engaged in farming. In 1946, they built Collins Locker in Kingsley, which they then owned and operated. They bought the John Deere Dealership in Mapleton in 1950, and ran the business as Collins Implement until retiring in 1986. Elizabeth passed away Feb. 15, 2001.

John was a member of St. Peter's United Church of Christ. John found satisfaction in his cow operation and enjoyed fishing when time allowed. He loved being around kids.

Those survivors left to cherish John's memory include two sons, Walter Collins and his wife, Julia of Mapleton, and Larry Collins of Sioux City; a daughter and her husband, Marge and Tom Senhen of Ida Grove, Iowa; 10 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two brothers and their wives, Chuck and Frances Collins of Sioux City, and Don and Gladys Collins of Le Mars, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Jean Pool of Chino Hills, Calif.

Along with his wife, John was preceded in death by his parents; a great-grandchild, Alyssa Drees; a sister-in-law; and a brother-in-law.

[Part of the Darrell Easton Obit Collection; source: Sioux City Journal]