Roy Lee Collins, Jr.

Roy Lee Collins, Jr., age 100, passed away Friday, March 23, 2018. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 7, 2018, at Monroe County Memorial Chapel. Dr. Hambric Brooks will officiate. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at Monroe County Memorial Chapel. Burial will be private at a later date in Mimosa Cemetery, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Mr. Collins, son of the late Roy Lee Collins, Sr. and Lillian Fay Springer Collins was born November 30, 1917, in Detroit Michigan. His father was born in Mississippi and his mother in Texas, but their true homeplace where he and his siblings were raised was Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He joined the National Guard in 1940 just prior to WWII. However, in 1942 he joined the Coast Guard serving for three years with assignments at various stations on the East and West Coasts and was discharged in 1945. In 1946 he went to New York City to work and study, attending Columbia University where he earned his Bachelors, and then his Master of Arts degree from Teachers College in 1955. During the time in New York City, he met his future wife, Cordelia Nisbet, through their mutual voice teacher. His passion for music was exceeded only by his love for Cordelia. After graduation Mr. Collins became associated with Bessie Tift College in 1955, teaching there for twenty-eight years. This resulted in a legacy of vocalists from his many students, whose beautiful voices are still being appreciated. Mr. Collins was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Forsyth, which was a mutual blessing throughout his many years. In the later part of his life he became a master woodworker, crafting an immense assortment of indoor and outdoor items that grace homes throughout Georgia and the Southeast. He will be lovingly remembered by family and friends for his wonderful spirit and unfailing memory which resulted in the sharing of so many stories about himself, those he shared life with, and the places he journeyed to during the gift of 100 years. Mr. Collins was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Cordelia, his sisters Jenny Paisley Curtis, and Mary Evelyn Hopwood and his brother James Wade Collins. Although God did not bless Lee and Cordelia with children of their own, he was loved and admired by his 10 nieces and nephews, 20 great nieces and nephews, and 16 great-great nieces and nephews. If one were to include the many students from Tift who continued writing and visiting him, his family was much greater. To honor his wishes, the family requests no flowers but suggests donations to First Baptist Church of Forsyth, 95 West Morse Street, Forsyth, Ga 31029. Monroe County Memorial Chapel has charge of arrangements.