Obituary of Regina E. Collins

Our beloved mother, Regina (Genie) Elizabeth (McNierney) Collins of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, died on July 11, 2025. In her 96 years, Genie touched many lives and had an incredible knack for keeping in touch with cousins, friends, and neighbors.

Mom is survived by her five children: Patricia Collins (James Matthews) of Wayne, Pennsylvania and Oakland, Maine; Clare Collins Gunther (William) of Canisteo, New York; Bernadette Collins of Philadelphia; Mary Catherine Collins Gaver (Eric) of Kennett Township, Pennsylvania; and Joseph Collins of Abingdon (Beth Farver), Maryland. She was also blessed with 15 grandchildren, and five – soon to be six – great grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband of 44 years, John (Jack) Joseph Collins Jr., who died on November 5, 2000. Our parents met while skiing at Bromley Mountain in Vermont. After she fell on a ski slope, Jack, all 5"4" of him, swooped in to help her up. Mom suspected Dad was following her down the slope for just such an opportunity. The rest was history.

Mom was born in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression in South Ozone Park, New York, and her childhood during the Depression left a deep impression. She never wasted a thing. Mom was predeceased by her parents, John and Elizabeth McNierney, and her siblings Patricia Benzmiller (Edward), John McNierney (Patricia), Arlene Bradley (Jerome) and Mary Lou McNierney, and her sister and brother-in-law Julia and Andy Flanagan. Mom also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, who kept in close contact. She was the glue for our extended family and stepped in as a confidant and matriarch after her siblings and in-laws passed away.

Mom derived great strength and solace from her Catholic faith, developed at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in South Ozone Park, where she attended elementary school. Although a devout Catholic who prayed the Rosary daily, Mom was not unquestioning in her faith and accepted with openness all who crossed her path. She had a beautiful singing voice and played the piano by ear. She loved opera and musical theater and recalled traveling as a child to New York City with her sister Pat to purchase SRO seats for Broadway plays.

Mom was a proud graduate of St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn, New York, having worked three jobs to pay for her education. She taught elementary school, where, along with teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, she recalled, always with a smile, serving as dry-land swimming instructor. She was a devoted volunteer who spent hundreds of hours building and working with organizations that addressed food and housing insecurity and served as a victim advocate. She was also a great golfer and a regular Nine Hole Champion who scored a hole-in- one at the age of 73. Mom remained curious, engaged, and deeply concerned about current affairs to the very end. An avid reader, she held firm opinions and expressed herself frankly. She and our dad shared an unwavering moral compass, which continues to guide us all.

Mom lost her own mother at an early age yet, when she became a mother, knew just what to do. We cherish the fact that she loved us unconditionally and encouraged our individual strengths while accepting our individual weaknesses. Mom created a sense of family wherever we went, including numerous moves due to Dad's job with I.B.M (or as she called it, I've Been Moved). She greatly valued her friendships, including with the "Unclaimed Treasures," a quartet of friends from Queens who traveled together while single and remained in touch throughout their lives. Mom never missed a birthday or anniversary and sent cards for every holiday. Her grandchildren looked forward to her "spooky" Halloween handwriting. She also never hesitated to pick up the phone for characteristically succinct check-ins.

We would like to thank Mom's many friends from New York, Rockville, and St. Michael's, Maryland, and most recently at Maris Grove, who brought her such friendship, joy and comfort, especially over the past difficult year. We are also grateful to the Maris Grove and Willow Tree Hospice staff for their care and compassion for Mom and for all of us.

A memorial service is planned for August 16th at the Maris Grove Chapel. Visitation will start at 10 am, followed by a Memorial Service at 11 and a luncheon. Mom asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Catholic Relief Services, the Maris Grove Staff Appreciation Fund, or the nonprofit of your choice. And, if you happen to hear "New York, New York" playing somewhere, think of Genie Collins, a proud New Yorker and fantastic wife and mother, with friends and loved ones too numerous to count. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.paganofuneralhome.com.