Robert J. Collins
Robert (Bob) J. Collins, 65, of Fort Dodge passed away unexpectedly on Saturday March 26th 2016 in Harlingen, TX. A visitation will be held at Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home in Humboldt from 4:00-7:00pm, on Friday April 1st. Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt at 10:00am, on Saturday April 2nd. The family will greet friends at a luncheon reception in the parish hall following the burial.
Bob was born on October 7th, 1950 to Lewis & Delores (Stoddard) Collins in Fort Dodge.
He attended Humboldt High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from 1967-1970, with time spent in Vietnam. Upon returning to the United States he met Sherry Brown, whom he married in 1971. They had 3 daughters together and later divorced. During their marriage he attended Iowa Central Community College & Buena Vista University. Bob’s career started in 1973 with the United States Postal Service in Fort Dodge. He was named Postmaster in Laurens, Sac City & Rockwell City (where he retired in January of 2005). He was a lifetime member of the VFW. And in the last few years, he has escaped the winter weather in Texas with his friend Jeannie.
His enjoyment in life came from fishing, boating, camping, riding his motorcycle and trading cars. Bob was a lover of trucks & bikes. He was known to have the newest vehicle almost every year. Bob was a handyman & was able to offer his skills and tools whenever anyone asked, especially his daughters. He spoiled his grandkids with toys, new games, and trips for candy, pizza & ice cream. His 5 grandsons and 3 daughters were his pride and joy. Bob was known for the extra effort he put in to stay in touch with his friends and family through calls, visits & attending reunions.
He is survived by his daughters Gina (Nathan Eichelberger) Collins of Bennington, NE and Heidi (Pat) Rial of Bondurant, IA; grandsons Braden, Hunter, Jordan, Chase, Levi and his granddaughter Melia, whose arrival he was anxiously awaiting; siblings Ron (Gladys) Collins, Dennis (Jan) Collins, Lewanne (Don) Gallentine, Jean (Gary) Hoveland, and Tim Collins, as well as many nieces & nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Lewis & Delores Collins, brother Jerry Collins, sister Chris Allen, daughter Melissa Collins, and granddaughter Nicole Rial.