John "David" Collins, age 68, of Mobile, Alabama, born in Jackson, Mississippi, passed away on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at Providence Hospital. A visitation will be held Thursday, March 1, from 6-8 P.M. in the chapel at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church in Mobile. Funeral services will be held at 1 P.M. on Friday, March 2, at Dauphin Way UMC. The family will also receive visitors one hour prior to services. A private burial will follow at Pine Crest Cemetery with Radney Funeral Home directing. David was preceded in death by his parents, S.D. "Dee" and Maurice Little Collins. Survivors include his wife of thirty-seven years, Leigh Ann Howell Collins; his daughters, Allison and Caroline Collins; his brother, H.D. "Chuck" Collins; and many loving family members and friends in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: the American Heart Association, 10 Glenlake Pkwy NE South Tower Ste 400, Atlanta, GA 30328; the National Park Foundation, ATTN: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 17394, Baltimore, MD 21298-9450; the Chucky Mullins Memorial Scholarship Endowment c/o UM Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655; or Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, 1507 Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. A graduate of Murrah High School, The University of Mississippi (B.A., M.B.A.), and Mississippi College (M.A.), David spent thirty-seven years with Holcim (U.S.), Inc., in cement sales and management. He was a gifted and personable businessman who treasured many long-standing professional relationships. He was a passionate lover of sports, and while most comfortable cheering on the Rebels in Oxford or the Cardinals in St. Louis, he could be found at football, baseball, and basketball games from coast to coast. He likewise made frequent trips to National Parks, sharing his love of the beauty of nature and the history of our nation with his wife and daughters. Raised in the United Methodist Church, he demonstrated his faith by serving as an usher, board member, and president of his UMYF group. He was a loving and generous husband, brother, and father, and the kind of man who accumulated lifelong friends. He will be dearly missed. On line condolences may be made at www.radneyfuneralhome.com
Published in the Mobile Register and Baldwin County on Feb. 28, 2018