Lucille Collins

Lucille Lorraine Halverson Collins, daughter of Jacob and Delphine (Miller) Halverson, was born October 8, 1918 in Spencer , Iowa . Because her family moved often during the Great Depression, she received her education at schools in Iowa , Wisconsin and Minnesota . Hard work was part of Lucille’s childhood, and because her older sister, Erma, was physically unable to do many chores, they became Lucille’s responsibility. She often recalled her childhood experiences, such as standing on a cream can and washing milk bottles all day for her Aunt & Uncle who operated a dairy farm. She and her mother also cleaned houses and sewed for many people in the area.

On July 17, 1940, she was united in marriage to Patrick D. Collins in Murdock , MN . To this union, four children were born: Joseph, Eugene, Teresa and Stanley. Lucille always took great pride in raising her family and supporting her husband in his work. The couple made their home in the Norcross area, where Lucille’s employment included positions as a waitress, a seamstress and as a cook at the Herman-Norcross School . She was also very active in the Norcross Study Club, the St. Theresia’s Circle, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Herman and she even served on the Norcross City Council. Patrick passed away on June 13, 1982. After his death, Lucille continued to be active in her many groups. In her later years, she enjoyed spending her winters in Mesa , AZ , making afghans for her many friends and family. She also loved music, dancing and traveling cross country. She was well known for her delicious caramel rolls and buns.

Lucille died on Friday, March 26, 2010 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud , MN , having lived to reach the age of 91 years.

She is survived by four children: Joseph (Connie) Collins of Buhl, ID, Eugene (Carole) Collins of Moses Lake, WA, Teresa (Darrell) Esterly of St. Cloud and Stanley (Rosemary) Collins of Kennebec, SD; eight grandchildren: Patrick Collins, Laura Windsor, Shane Collins, Risa Wessbecker, Brett Pogalz, Matthew Collins, Beth McPeak and Justin Collins; 13 great-grandchildren: one brother, Ervin (Joy) Halverson of El Paso, TX; three sisters-in-law: Mary Collins of DeGraff, Ronnie (Evan) Olson of Wheaton and Madge Osterbauer of Buffalo and her special niece, Constance James of Phoenix, AZ. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents; two sisters: Erma and Ella; one brother, Ernest and one grandson, Jamie Collins.