John L. Collins' Obituary
John L. Collins, age 93, of North Ridgeville, passed away at his residence on Thursday, March 19th. He was born on February 22, 1933 in Flint, Michigan to Louise (nee Arseno) and John A. Collins, and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He was married for 58 years to the late Sheila Collins (nee Dicken). John served in the US Marine Corps on active duty in Korea from 1951-52. He went on to earn BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona.
While in graduate school, John met Sheila Dicken, who was also a graduate student at the university. They married shortly after finishing their education and raised three sons together. Sheila was his beloved wife and best friend, and though she passed in 2018, she never left his heart, nor his thoughts. John began his career at Shell Oil and Standard Oil in Texas before moving to the Cleveland area and becoming a research and aerospace engineer at NASA. He worked at NASA for 36 years on
a variety of projects, including launch vehicles, communication satellites, and two of the first wind turbines to be built in the United States.
John took joy in his role as a father. He involved himself in many of his sons’ activities from Cub and Boy Scouts to coaching baseball. In his free time, he enjoyed golfing, playing bridge, bird watching, reading about history, cycling, travelling, and gardening with his wife.
John is survived by his sons: Andrew (Maria) of Cross River, NY; Stuart (Korby) of Rocky River,
OH; and Christopher (Theresa) of Evanston, IL. He also leaves his sister Mary Green (Chandler,
AZ) and brother James Collins (Oro Valley, AZ), seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren,
and many dear friends.
Memorial services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the National Audubon Society:
https://www.audubon.org/
What’s your fondest memory of John?
What’s a lesson you learned from John?
Share a story where John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with John you’ll never forget.
How did John make you smile?