COLLINS; Richard Allan (Rick) –

Suddenly as the result of a heart attack, Rick Collins passed away on Thursday June 6, 2019 in his 70th year. He was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, nephew and friend.

Those left to mourn include his wife and companion of 33 years, Michelle (Britten); his children Michael (Star) of White Rock, British Columbia and Meredith (Grant) of Cambridge; his grandchildren Taylor, Noah, Austin and Lauren; his brother Ron (Martha) of Guelph; his aunt and uncle Fran and Fred Gibson of Paris and many nieces and nephews. Rick will also be remembered by the Britten family and Nancy Wilkins.

Rick was born in Paris, Ontario to the late Betty (Gibson) and Allan Collins on January 6, 1949. He was raised in Paris with his two brothers Ron and Jim (deceased 2015). He excelled at track & field at Paris District High School before attending Brantford Collegiate Institute and was the lead singer of The Nighthawks, a local cover band.

Rick was drawn early to the funeral service profession starting his career as a teenager at Thorpe Brothers Funeral Home, Brantford. His compassion and sincere desire to help those through times of loss took him down a career path that included ownership in funeral homes located in Paris, Cambridge, Toronto and Fergus. Rick also worked in funeral service for a number of years throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Over his career, Rick recognized the need to give back to his community by being an active member of a number of churches and service clubs. Funeral service was not a job, it was Rick’s calling.

After Rick’s retirement in 2009, Rick took up a number of hobbies that included woodworking, carving, painting and reupholstering. Retirement also allowed more time for his grandchildren. He loved them all dearly and was so very proud of their accomplishments. As Michelle’s retirement drew closer, they were both looking forward to travelling extensively in their motorhome. Sadly, a reminder that life is short.

Cremation has taken place. There will be a Celebration of Life for Rick to be held at the Savannah Golf Course, located at 1206 Cheese Factory Road, Cambridge (Galt) on Sunday July 21, 2019 from 1 - 4 pm with sharing of memories at 1:30 pm.

As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation and National Service Dogs would be appreciated by the family.