Sadly, our beloved father, Clayton Collins, from Hare Bay, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, passed away very peacefully early in the morning on Tuesday, April 29th in James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander, NL. He had just turned 89 on April the 1st.
He is predeceased by our mother Gertrude Collins (passed away 5 1/2 years earlier); his siblings Maggie Ivany, Eric Collins, Otto Collins, Bert Collins, and Ted Collins; and his parents Muriel and Bill Collins.
Leaving to mourn with cherished memories are his children Marilyn, Kevin, and Dean Collins; his only remaining sibling, his beloved sister Vida Taylor; his wonderful grandchildren, Ryan Strickland, Taylor Strickland, Shane Collins, Angie Mallory, and Dean Collins Jr., whom Dad and Mom did their very best to support throughout the years; his special Great-Grandchildren, Jayden and Cole Collins, Alice and Lea Mallory, and Aiden Collins; his very special niece and close family friend, Viona Keating – they loved to torment each other to the end. He loved you, Viona! He also leaves to mourn our amazing cousin, Carrie Winters, who always invited Mom and Dad over for countless homemade special holiday meals; Dad and Mom’s amazing neighbours, Gloria and Max Vivian, and Alice and Jake Howse. Max and Gloria helped Mom and Dad countless times whenever needed. Alice was always there, looking out and caring for them, dropping by with an unexpected meal. They were all the best neighbours anyone could ever ask for! And of course, Dad’s favourite ‘Poker Night’ partners, Joyce Collins and Selby Newhook. Thank you Joyce and Selby. Mom and Dad cherished every one of those nights.
Our father, Clayton, Clayt, as our mother Gertrude called him, was an Ironworker, a construction worker all his life, walking around on 7 inch wide beams 100 feet or more up in the air, building structures. Mom and Dad moved their very young family of the three of us, from Hare Bay, NL to Toronto, Ontario in 1963, hoping for better opportunities for themselves and us. Dad worked on many large buildings in the Toronto area and beyond, including the CN Tower circa 1973. We would remember him coming home after work with a permanent face tan! Not just in the summer from the heat, but also in the winter from the cold winds he dealt with!
For many years, our Mother worked afternoons at Canada Post, which meant that our Father was responsible for cooking our family supper, with our mother’s prep help, of course! They both worked hard and did their absolute best to provide for their three growing children.
Personally, as his son writing this obituary, which is not easy, some of my fondest early memories were of my father driving me and my brother everywhere to our hockey games and practices at all hours in the day. He would wake me up at 4:30 in the morning to go to a hockey practice in a freezing cold rink, listening to Motown hits on the car radio on the way. Such fond memories! He always supported whatever we all did!
Our father and mother retired back to Newfoundland, their real home, in 1994, a well deserved retirement. Our father’s ‘job’ from that point on, his point on, was to take care of our mother, not that she needed taking care of, but she was his reason for living. They lived together for another wonderful 25 years until our mother’s passing in September of 2019. They were married for a week shy of 65 years, and I know that our father never got over losing her.
About a year and a half ago, our father agreed to live at the Oram’s Emmanuel Manor in Gambo, NL. We wanted him to be with people he grew up with, and he enjoyed it very much there. We cannot say enough about all of the great people at the Gambo Oram’s Emmanuel Manor residence. Simply put, they all loved my father, and he loved every one of them back! He always had a quick wit and a comic comeback to the staff’s joking with him! We think they enjoyed it too. Thank you to every staff member!
He was a strong man, a fighter, a loving husband and a loving father. That’s what we will remember!
We would like to extend a very special thank you to all of the staff at James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander. All of the nurses and staff provided their absolute best in caring for our father. Thank you! We would also like to say a personal ‘Thank You’ to Dr. Paulus for his communication, diligence and compassion with regards to our father. Thank you for helping to lessen the burden.
Again, we cannot thank Oram’s Emmanuel Manor enough for providing our father with the very best care for the last year and a half. You have all treated our father like family during his time there, and we thank you.
A sincere thank you to all,
Clayton Collins’ Family; Marilyn, Kevin and Dean