William Washington Collins

William Washington Collins 7/5/18 - 5/6/14 William Washington Collins, 95, passed away May 6, 2014 at Bayfront Medical, St Petersburg, Florida after a short illness. Born in Faunsdale, Alabama, William moved to Mount Vernon, New York in the late 1930's. He was employed by Clark & Vicario, Tarrytown, New York. William and his wife Mary relocated to St Petersburg in 1974 when his employer moved the entire operations of the business to Florida. William and Mary made a wonderful home for themselves in the Lakewood Estates community. William retired from his position with Clark & Vicario in 1984 and spent many of his afternoons at St Petersburg and Gulfport beaches. He was a faithful Christian and a member of Bethel Community Baptist Church. William loved following the exciting athletic career of his son William L. Collins a champion track star. William took up track as a hobby when he turned 70. The capstone of this hobby was when both father and son ran in a Masters Track event held in Orlando, Florida in 1988. Williams' loving wife Mary (Blakely) preceded him in death in June, 1995. Traveling became William's joy and he spent many days with family in Texas, Georgia and Alabama. William lived a blessed life and never met a stranger. His friendships counted in the hundreds. William was known to send greeting cards to a great list of family members and friends for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. He would personalize each card with a special message. A special friend, Dorothy Hill came into Williams' life in 2000. They spent many days enjoying each other's company and traveling. William will be missed by his children William L. Collins (Stephanie) Houston, TX; Kathleen Collins Williams (Earl) Lawrenceville,GA; Eunice Penn, Mount Vernon, NY; his sister Amy Harris, Montgomery, AL ; grandchildren : William Shaw Jr, Everett Shaw, Alicia Collins, Christopher Collins, Jon Meriwether, Arte Collins, LaVon Collins, Sara Derks, Aviante Collins, Donte Williams and Nieman Williams; 10 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, special friend Dorothy Hill, Vera Kelly his personal care giver, good friend Clinton (Peanut) Allen and many, many friends and neighbors. He joins in heaven his daughters Edmonia and Shirley; son Lawrence; Mother Fannie, Father Richard, 3 brothers and 3 sisters. A celebration of Williams' life will be held in St Petersburg, Florida on July 5, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations towards William's home going celebration can be sent to William L. Collins 7653 Glen Manor Drive, Houston, TX 77028. For information pertaining to the celebration, please call 713 491-3248 or email [email protected].