Dorothy Rene Collins, of Rye, New York, passed away peacefully on August 26, 2018.
Dottie, as she was known, was born in 1923 in Butler County, Missouri. Coming from humble beginnings as a farm girl in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, she understood the value of a dollar. She attended a one-room schoolhouse, which heightened her desire to go beyond her horizon.
After earning an Associate degree, she went to work at Merchantile Home Bank & Trust Co. and Hallmark Cards HQ in Kansas City.
She became an air hostess for TWA, traveling the world in the 1940s and 1950s, when airline travel was truly a privilege. While vacationing in Puerto Rico, she met Ed Collins, who was there on a work assignment. They were married in 1956. TWA’s policy back then was that once a woman married or reached the age restriction limit she retired. But not Dottie Collins. She loved her job and kept her marriage a secret until she became pregnant.
In 1964, Ed’s job with Arthur Andersen & Co. took the family to Germany, where he was partner in charge of the Frankfurt office for eight years. With Dottie’s passion for travel, the family traveled throughout the world.
Dottie and Ed Collins celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary shortly before his passing in 2011.
Mrs. Collins was very active in local community activities, including The Rye Garden Club, TWA Clipped Wings Club (former air hostesses), and The Woman’s Club of Rye, for which she organized semi-annual trips to Broadway matinees for many years.
She is survived by her children: Edward (Jose) of Lambertville, N.J.; Ellen (Devin) of Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Peter (Laurie) and grandchildren PJ, Patrick, Ryan, and Liam of Wilton, Conn.
A funeral service was held August 30 at Resurrection Church in Rye.
Dottie Collins
