John P. Collins was born on Aug. 8, 1924, the eighth of fourteen children born to John F. and Margaret Collins of Winner, South Dakota.
He graduated from Winner High School in 1942 and joined the U.S. Navy the following year. He served on a submarine tender as a torpedo man in the South Pacific until his discharge in December 1945.
Following the war, he enrolled at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration.
In 1952, he married LaVaine Ruzicka. Six children were born to this union: Connie Billings, Patrick, Daniel, Colleen Dooly, John and Steven.
John was employed for 31 years by Dial Finance, which merged with Norwest Financial, and subsequently Wells Fargo. He retired from Norwest Financial as a district manager in 1982. John was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church for fifty years and was also a long time member of the Knights of Columbus.
John passed away on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 at Kavanagh House Hospice in Des Moines at the age of 93.
He is survived by Helen Collins; children, Pat (Sue) Collins, Dan (Teresa Natale) Collins, Colleen Dooley, John (Kelle) Collins, Steve (Monica) Collins; son-in-law, Mark Billings; twelve grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; and sisters Kathleen Steele and Joan Foltz.
He was preceded in death by his wife, LaVaine; daughter, Connie Billings; parents and eleven siblings.
Visitation will be Tuesday, September 5, 2017 from 5-7 p.m. with a vigil service beginning at 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines, Iowa.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with interment following at Resthaven Cemetery in West Des Moines.
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