Kenneth Jack Collins, age 68 years, a resident of Elkins, WV and more recently a resident of Claymont, Delaware, departed this life Tuesday evening, July 26, 2011 at the Wilmington Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was born Friday, October 2, 1942 at Elkins, WV a son of the late Ronald Sr. and Rachael Gochenour “Peg” Collins. He was the beloved husband of Thelma “Net” Jeannette McMurray Collins with whom he shared 48 loving years of marriage. Also surviving are two brothers, William Harper Collins and Ronald Lester Collins, Jr., both of Elkins, WV; one daughter, Linda Ellen and husband Isidro Garcia, Jr. of St. Claire Shores, Michigan, and one son, Russell Ray and wife Deb Collins of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, his Foster daughter, Amy Barina Cooper, and as well as his cousins Nancy Green, Dr. Joyce London, and Linda Collins.
Ken was a proud and patriotic American who served for 20 years in the US Army in the Vietnam War as well as in South Korea, Panama, and stateside. He worked his way up to the rank of E-7 while working with electronics and computers. Following his military life, he worked for himself as a consultant with his own company, KARL (Ken, Net, Ray, Linda) and worked for companies such as Burroughs and AEL (American Electronics Laboratories). He also consulted as an author for The Boeing Company for many years up until his passing. In his spare time he taught many classes in electronics to students in Korea as well as stateside.
Ken was a Mason and a Shriner. He served with the Leading Creek Fire Company, as well as the Good Will Fire Company in West Chester, PA. He also ran the fire school while stationed in Panama. He enjoyed collecting trains, coins, coffee mugs and steins, hats, as well as die-cast cars.
The family will receive friends at the Lohr & Barb Funeral Home of Elkins on Saturday, July 30, 2011 from 5 pm to 8 pm. Final Rites will be conducted at the funeral home chapel, Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 1 PM. Evangelist Gary Kendall will officiate and interment will follow at the Elkins Memorial Gardens on the Airport Road, where the H. W. Daniel’s Post # 29, American Legion and the Tygart’s Valley Post # 3647, Veterans of Foreign Wars will conduct full military honors. The family suggests that expressions of sympathy can be in the form of memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org
