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Loren Collins, my Captain, my Dad

He was taken from us long before his time to go, long before he'd fulfilled all his dreams, and long before he had outlived his service to others in this world, and yet his contributions to this world and his love of this life will live on until the end of time. He's an amazing soul. I'm sure God is glad to have him with him.

Please follow the links below for glimpses into Loren's life:

Son Husband Father Engineer and Artist Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Friend Forever Loren

Subj: Fw: Our condolences for our loss of Loren Collins with images.
Date: 5/31/03 11:48:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: davet99@bellsouth.net (Dave Thompson)
To: Swislady29@cs.com

File: Loren-BW.pdf (59868 bytes) DL Time (TCP/IP): < 1 minute

hi mary ann, this is from tony and what was read at the funeral:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony M. Di Leonardo" <tonydi@flash.net>
To: "Dave Thompson" <davet99@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 12:32 PM
Subject: Our condolences for our loss of Loren Collins with images.

> Dear Mr. & Mrs. Dave and Pat Thompson,
>
> This is a sad time when we mourn our world's loss of Loren Collins and we
recall good things and better times.
>
> You, his family and his many friends were blessed to be able to share
Loren Collins' short life on earth, his travels and his last years.
>
> We mourn our loss of Loren Collins and we mourn our loss of his many fine
> qualities. We will miss:
> Loren Collins' stoic character.
> Loren Collins' positive attitude.
> Loren Collins' selfless behavior.
> Loren Collins' kind heart and expressions.
> Loren Collins' dedication to family and life.
> Loren Collins' humility.
> Loren Collins' meticulous care.
> Loren Collins' un-relenting, un-requited and soft spoken kindness.
> Loren Collins' attention to detail.
> Loren Collins' good work ethic.
> Loren Collins' warm and heart-felt greetings on encounters with others.
> Loren Collins' quiet yet uplifting conversation.
> Loren Collins' encouraging good example.
> Loren Collins' selfless giving of himself.
>
> Loren Collins will be missed and without him, our lives will be harder to live.
>
> God and all our dearly departed will show us our way. Through their
memories we can find their strengths and hopes within us and develop them so that
their life's work can continue and improve our means to help those in need. We
can continue to lead by their good example
>
> Words can only scratch the surface of Loren Collins' kind heart and soul.
>
> We extend our condolences to all Loren Collins' family, relatives,
collaborators and friends.
>
> We hope this note finds you, your family, your relations and your friends
safe and warm in our trying times.
>
> Warmly -- your remote and good friend,
> Anthony M. Di Leonardo
>
>
> PS. Mr. Thompson,
>
> Please find attached the scanned images of Loren as you requested.
>
> They are in black and white for better clarity for respect for a man whose
> images do not tell the full story. We used PDF format to expedite file
> transfer. We also have a JPG and GIF formats that are very large files and we
> might try sending them if necessary.
>
> Sorry that we could not find any more pictures.
>
> Let me know if you need anything further.
>
> Anthony

Captain Dad at the helm of Archimedes in Freeport, Bahamas heading for Jack Tar Marina.

1st Mate Mom is having a great time riding the waves with her Captain at the helm.

Dad and his Catalina on Lake Austin, Texas in 1993.

Message from Mary Ann:

Loren's' family is grateful for the outpouring of shock over his tragic, untimely death, and affection from people that we didn't think knew Dad or remembered him. I know he would have been pleased to know that so many people he had crossed paths with, remembered him with fondness and admiration. His entry in his high school yearbook was "If I could, I would but teach". He fulfilled that dream without even knowing it, by eagerly sharing his knowledge, unquenchable curiousity, friendliness, and innocent humor, with everyone that crossed his path. People were drawn to his sweet smile, and the twinkles in his lake blue eyes. Even a girl at the Dairy Queen in Ft. Pierce, gave Dad a "Sweetie Pie" discount.

Loren's family and friends would appreciate if you have any pictures or stories about Loren you'd like to share on this website,that you would forward them to the email below. His untimely death left me with no time to gather photos or stories. We need all the memories we can get of our beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Friend.

Thank you all for your kindness and beautiful flowers at Dad's funeral in Grand Island. Mom is understandably overwhelmed and apologizes for not getting her thank-you notes out yet.
She promises she will write soon.

Please send pictures to be included on this website and emails to:
webmaster@lorencollins.com

1954 new baby blue Ford, Mary Jane and Loren, married just 10 years. So many dreams.

Mom and Dad's last visit to Dover, Summer of 2002 in Bob's driveway.

Dave Thompson, Dad, and Mom having a good time at Dave and Pat's "Moving to Tennessee" party at Tony's house in Austin.