Collins, Thomas

Collins, Thomas

age 80, of Centerville passed away on November 28, 2023 after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Burlen Collins and Wilma (Gerke) Meyers, his Uncle Louis Chamberlain, who was like a second father to him, and his wife of 31 years, Catherine (Altmeyer) Collins. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, April and Rolando Delgado of Centerville; son and daughter-in-law, Timothy and Sheila Collins of Bangor, ME; grandson Cody Collins and his wife Abigail; granddaughters Ashleigh Peterson and her husband Lee, Isabella Delgado and Sophia Delgado; great granddaughter Hannah Collins; several cousins and many dear friends. He retired from the University of Dayton Research Institute where he was a Research Engineer for more than 30 years. He loved cars, music, and family vacations to Hilton Head. He enjoyed going to races at Mid-Ohio and could be found on the pit crew for many years and even had the chance to race his Scion xB1 "Box Car" there one year. He was affectionately named "Grandpa Cookie" by his grandkids in Maine because as toddlers, he tried to bribe them to say "Grandpa" by offering them delicious homemade cookies that Cathy made. He will be missed by all who knew him. The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Hospice of Dayton for the loving and compassionate care they extended to Tom during his illness. A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Tom's life will be held on December 13th from 5:00-7:00pm at TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-FAR HILLS CHAPEL, 5471 Far Hills Ave, Dayton, OH 45429. A memorial in celebration of his life will be held at St. Leonard Chapel, 8100 Clyo Road, Centerville, OH 45458 on December 14th at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420 in Tom's memory. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.

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