John R. Collins

JOHN RODMAN COLLINS was born on January 15, 1935, in Harlan, Kentucky, to the late Sonshine Mae Swain and John Collins. He was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Georgia Collins; parents, John and Sunshine Mae Swain; grandsons, Michael Palm and Tim Owsley; brother and sister- in-law, Jesse and Karen Simms; sisters, Mary Sweeney, Mae (Jerry) Offit, and George Ann Mitchum; and brother, Eugene Carter. John moved from Harlan to Dayton, Ohio, and was employed at General Motors (GM), Delco Remy plant where he worked for 34 years as a machinist. While in Dayton, John enjoyed his favorite hobby of roller skating. He was a master roller skater, traveling around the state with a roller skating club. His prized possession was his powder blue suede skates which he always talked about. Known throughout the Dayton for his skating skill by young and old, he was always willing to teach others how to skate or improve their skating skills. John skated until he was in his 70’s and had to be taken out of the skating rink on a stretcher. Only a restriction from his doctor stopped him from skating. After uniting with New Covenant Believers’ Church, he joined the Usher Board where he served for many years until his back pain became unbearable. He was a faithful, dependable servant who loved being an usher so the decision to stop ushering was extremely difficult. The Usher Board honored him for his years of service. John was passionate about his relationship with the Lord and his church. He looked forward to attending Bible Study, Sunday morning worship, and the Monday Brotherhood prayer breakfast.

Precious memories will be forever cherished by sons, John (Cathy) Douglas of Lexington, Kentucky and Stephan (Regina) Douglas of Columbus, Ohio; brothers, Billy Joe Jones of Atlanta, Georgia, Russell Simms of Dayton, Ohio, and Charles (Nina) Simms of Harlan, Kentucky; sister, Naja Simms of Dayton, Ohio; a host of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Visitation 6:00 PM Thursday December 17, 2020 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE NORTH, 2500 Cleveland Ave. and Private Funeral Service 11:00 AM Friday, December 18, 2020 at New Covenant Believers Church, 3400 Kohr Blvd. Interment at Evergreen Burial Park. Mask and Social Distancing are required at all services.