Obituary for Joseph A. Collins
Joseph A. Collins peacefully entered into eternal life on January 4, 2020 at his home in Thornwood.
Joe was born in White Plains in 1932 and raised in Valhalla by his parents, Patrick and Mary, along with his brother, Patrick John, who predeceased him. Joe attended St. John the Evangelist grammar school in White Plains and was a member of the last graduating class of boys from St. John’s High School in 1950. He married Peggy Flatley of County Mayo, Ireland, in 1956.
An aircraft mechanic by training, Joe worked at the Westchester County Airport for General Electric and other companies for almost two decades. In 1973, he left aviation and opened a Carvel ice cream store in Thornwood and two years later purchased a Carvel store in Armonk, later relaunching it as Collins Ice Cream. In the 1980s, Joe became a developer of residential properties and built houses in Thornwood and Hawthorne.
Joe was a volunteer chaplain and Eucharistic Minister at Westchester Medical Center and Phelps Memorial Hospital in the 1990s and 2000s. He also was a staunch advocate for the sanctity of human life at all its stages, a devoted member of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, and a sidewalk counselor for alternatives to abortion. A friend of Bill W since 1984 and a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, he had many valued friends throughout Westchester.
He is survived by his children, Mary Moran (Robert) of Boston, Elizabeth Collins (Kevin) of Yonkers, Patrick Collins (Denise) of Brooklyn, Joan O'Keefe (Daniel) of Raleigh, NC, Margaret Collins of New Jersey, Joseph Collins (Andrea) of Solihull, UK, and Michael Collins (Justine) of Pleasantville, as well as fourteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at Beecher and Flooks Funeral Home on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. at Holy Innocents Church, Pleasantville, NY. Joe will be laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Expectant Mother Care/Frontline, emcfrontline.org .
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
Joe was born in White Plains in 1932 and raised in Valhalla by his parents, Patrick and Mary, along with his brother, Patrick John, who predeceased him. Joe attended St. John the Evangelist grammar school in White Plains and was a member of the last graduating class of boys from St. John’s High School in 1950. He married Peggy Flatley of County Mayo, Ireland, in 1956.
An aircraft mechanic by training, Joe worked at the Westchester County Airport for General Electric and other companies for almost two decades. In 1973, he left aviation and opened a Carvel ice cream store in Thornwood and two years later purchased a Carvel store in Armonk, later relaunching it as Collins Ice Cream. In the 1980s, Joe became a developer of residential properties and built houses in Thornwood and Hawthorne.
Joe was a volunteer chaplain and Eucharistic Minister at Westchester Medical Center and Phelps Memorial Hospital in the 1990s and 2000s. He also was a staunch advocate for the sanctity of human life at all its stages, a devoted member of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, and a sidewalk counselor for alternatives to abortion. A friend of Bill W since 1984 and a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, he had many valued friends throughout Westchester.
He is survived by his children, Mary Moran (Robert) of Boston, Elizabeth Collins (Kevin) of Yonkers, Patrick Collins (Denise) of Brooklyn, Joan O'Keefe (Daniel) of Raleigh, NC, Margaret Collins of New Jersey, Joseph Collins (Andrea) of Solihull, UK, and Michael Collins (Justine) of Pleasantville, as well as fourteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at Beecher and Flooks Funeral Home on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. at Holy Innocents Church, Pleasantville, NY. Joe will be laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Expectant Mother Care/Frontline, emcfrontline.org .
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.