William Kelly Collins Sr.

01/24/2005

William Kelly Collins Sr., DDS, 81, of 175 Spring St. died yesterday at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. Born in Pittsfield on May 15, 1923, son of Dr. Bernard M. Collins and Elizabeth Murphy Collins, he attended Pittsfield schools. He was among the first graduating class of the former Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox. He attended Columbia University and Providence College and received his doctor of dental surgery from Georgetown University School of Dentistry in Washington, D.C., in 1951. An Army veteran of World War II, he enlisted in December 1942 and landed on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy. He also saw action in the Battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in November 1945. In 1952, Dr. Collins opened a practice in Lee with the late Dr. Francis Devanny. He had first practiced with Dr. Roland Barnette in Newton. He retired in 1993. He was a communicant of St. Mary's Church, where he served as a Eucharistic minister. He was a member of the Massachusetts and Berkshire County dental societies. He was a past member of the Stockbridge Golf and Alford Brook clubs. He also served on the board of directors of the former Lee National Bank. His wife, the former Elinor Ann Sullivan, whom he married July 10, 1950, died April 1, 2004. He leaves three sons, W. Kelly Collins Jr. of Pittsfield, Timothy G. Collins of Germantown, Tenn., and Michael T. Collins of Lawrenceville, Ga.; two daughters, Patricia C. Taylor of New Canaan, Conn., and Christine C. Avery of West Roxbury; a brother, Dr. Bernard M. Collins of Lee; three sisters, Helen C. Meehan and Jeanne C. Miller, both of Lee, and Sheila C. Burns of Juno Beach, Fla., and 11 grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- The funeral for Dr. William K. Collins, who died Jan. 24, 2005, will be Thursday at 9:15 from KELLY FUNERAL HOME in Lee, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10 in St. Mary's Church. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours will be Wednesday from 4 to 7 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations to HospiceCare in the Berkshires or to St. Mary's Church in care of the funeral home, 3 Main St., Lee, MA 01238. Dr. Collins was predeceased by his brother, Dr. Daniel J. Collins (1980), his sisters, Elizabeth Miller (1992), Mary "Teacie" Furer (2003) and Bernadine "Bunny" Cook (2003).

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