John Collins

John R. Collins

Avid outdoorsman, bus driver and retired correction officer John R. Collins’s love of life didn’t come to an end with his death. John passed away on June 25, 2024 at the age of 56 after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

John was born in Montour Falls in 1968 to Sue and Merle Collins, who instilled John’s love of the outdoors through hunting, fishing and camping. As a family, they spent time camping and traveling to the Saint Lawrence River for family vacations. John attended Odessa-Montour Central School where he graduated in 1986, before joining the Air Force where he became a military police officer. He aspired to be involved in law enforcement and felt it was important to serve his country. He later became a corrections officer at Southport Correctional Facility, where he retired from before driving school bus for Odessa-Montour Central School District.

John met his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Shannon (Freeman), through John’s cousin and Shannon’s best friend, Maria (Parrott) Bergen. From their first date, John and Shannon became inseparable and quickly fell in love. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married on December 20th, 1986 in Cayuta, NY.

John and Shannon couldn’t wait to start a family of their own, and their children meant the world to them. As young parents to Ashley, Johnathon and Nathan, they carried on the traditions of loving nature and being outdoors, as well as the importance of family. They enjoyed numerous camping trips and family picnics with their extended family regularly. John spent as much time teaching his sons the love of fishing and hunting white tail deer and turkeys. Although Ashley was not interested in hunting, she loved her pet turkey dearly. John was a hard worker and always kept himself busy with projects around his property – including his children along the way. John and Shannon worked hard to build a home filled with love, and especially laughter. On any given Friday or Saturday night, you could find John in his garage with a cold beer, surrounded by family and friends. As their children grew-up, John was beyond grateful for his children to find love. First Johnathon met Catherine (Russell), then John introduced Ashley to Greg Freeland, and finally Nathan brought Deanna (Kilanowski) home. John opened his home and heart to his children’s spouses and became their biggest cheerleaders.

Though John loved being a husband, father and hunter, his favorite role was grandpa. John treasured his time with his grandkids, Liam (11), Lily (10), Payten (9), Finley (7), Mia (6), Rowan (5), Jamison (3), Astrid (3). John and the grandchildren always looked forward to rides on the side-by-side through the woods, bowls of ice cream and sitting in grandpa’s chair.

John had a soft spot for his furry friends, treating each and every one like the valuable family member they were. When John didn’t have a lap full of grandchildren, he would have one of his many pets sitting with him in his recliner.

John had amazing relationships with his truest friends that spanned decades. His favorite times with his friends included deer hunting season, maple syrup tapping, family Halloween parties and a good meal with a cold beer.
John spent most of his adult life working at Southport Correctional Facility where he met his future son-in-law, a fellow CO, but loved his time as a school bus driver for Odessa-Montour Central School District. His friends and family were shocked and delighted at how he took to bus driving and caring for all the students. John was kind, compassionate yet firm and enjoyed bringing the kids treats for the holidays. He treasured the relationships with the bus crew as they supported him through his battle with cancer.

John was protestant but found peace in the woods on his family property and considered that his church. This belief was passed down to his children and they shared many ideas and thoughts about their connections to the land and the world around them.

John will be remembered for his straightforward, humorous, loving personality and the way that he would stand up for the ones he loved. He instilled a hard work ethic and dedication to work and family in his children. We’ll always imagine hearing him say “One more and we’ll all go home” just one last time. We couldn’t have asked for a better husband, father, grandfather or friend. John will be missed every day. His memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved John.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Merle and Sue (Parrott) Collins and several other extended family members. And he is survived by his best friend and loving wife, children, grandchildren, his siblings Mark (Lisa) Collins, Carol (Dave) Marsh, Christina (Joe) Zimmer, Donna (Bob) Angle, and many nieces and nephews and cousins.

The family will be having a private celebration of life for John. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation would be appreciated.