Loren Collins, my Captain, my Dad

Loren loved his Crealock 34'.  He had taken many small trips and wintered in her with his wife for 8 years.  Every day Loren would go and get supplies for her and cared for her like he had his own children. Sometimes he'd awake in the middle of the night with some bright idea about how to  improve her.  He had just finished re-inventing and installing  a PUR watermaker next to the galley.  Loren was by trade an electircal /electronics engineer.   He was a  good hearted, down to earth man with a great love of country and home.  His high-tech computer inventions have changed our world today, and his Defense work in radar and missles, has made it a safer place to live. 

Loren was run over and killed in Harbortown  Marina, Ft. Pierce, Florida on May 12th, 2003, by the travelift carrying his own beloved 22 ton, Crealock 34' sailboat.  It happened at 11:45 am, just hours before he was to set sail to the Islands.  He suffered a gruesome long drawn out death, for what reason only God knows.  Loren's right leg was  severed  and his left leg had multiple fractures.  The police received the call from Harbortown at 12:03, and met the paramedics on the scene at 12:15, half an hour after he was run over.  The helicopter crew called West Palm first, found they were overloaded, then called Melbourne Trauma Center at 1:00 pm.  Loren arrived in Melbourne at 1:17 and was in surgery at 1:45.  He'd been bleeding profusely for too long with only saline to replace the blood lost.  Melbourne gave him eight pints of blood upon his arrival there, but his heart was already damaged from pumping dry.  Loren Collins lost his battle to live at 4:17 pm, four and a half hours after he was run over by the 65 ton travelift.

On the morning of his death, Loren had just had breakfast, delivered his wife to the laundromat, and with a woman volunteer, motored his sailboat over to the marina's service pier.  He was in a great mood.  Everything was coming together.  Dave Thompson, his sailing buddy was an hour and a half away, driving from Tennessee.  Waiting for the travelift carrying his boat and the washing crew, Loren was relaxed, and called his wife on the walkie talkie, calmly commenting that the driver and the spotter were late and he was standing in the little shade up against the metal building that the marina used as an office. 

Even though his appointment was for 11am, the crew was still busy with another boat in the yard.  Loren was in no rush.  He had the boat readied and his sailmate was still a couple of hours away.  He was just standing and watching the activity of the boatyard.  The driver of the lift and the spotter were half an hour late. They had to hurry with Loren's boatwash appointment to get to their noon half hour lunch break, when the yard's whistle blew.  Use it or lose it, they said.

Billy sat up in the driver's seat with the engine running, while Kelmer quickly hosed Loren's boat off.   Loren had told Billy that he wanted the boat put back in the water so he could motor it back to his slip.  Billy had driven for Loren for seven years.  Loren trusted him with his precious Archimedes.  Kelmer was a short time employee.  Billy started the travelift, moving forward toward the steel lip on the right edge of the  pier on his side (driver on left), "following the line" unable to see Kelmer or Dad.  Billy said he didn't see what happened because he couldn't see around the boat.  He also said he was only watching the approaching lip on his side.  
Billy said as Loren went out of his sight, he was standing up against the side of the metal building.  Kelmer had to hang up the hose and pass Loren on the narrow walkway that the huge tires of the lift ran on.  When the lift started moving toward him, Kelmer may have been startled, becuaase the lift moves slowly and the diesel engine already running makes a lot of noise.  The horn is on the backend and can't be heard above the roar of the engines in the front.  Kelmer may have tripped over Loren, knocking him down.  He may have lied for fear of being prosecuted.  The  old man was frail  and slow compared to the six foot something, 200 pound plus Kelmer, and there was no other place for him to walk but in front of the huge oncoming travelift, because of a welding station  set-up in that spot.  It was an accident waiting to happen.  But not that day.  It was avoidable negligence by both employees, that caused Loren's death that day.  The wooden blocks that should have stopped the tires during the wash sat unused under the ropes that had been used to tie off Loren's spurting arteries.
  
"There's so much blood", Marilyn, the marina's secretary told Loren's wife.  The marina employee told his wife that  he'd been removed and  she waited for word.  He was severly wounded, bleeding to death, just yards away, wondering where his wife was.  The marina's employees spoke no more to her.  Legal liability.  Had it happened before?

Loren laid on the tarmac for over an hour bleeding to death, while the helicopter crew tried to find a hospital to take him to.  What took so long?  He had BC/BS.  If not money, then blood availability?  Three hours later at four pm, when he arrived at the Melbourne Trauma Center, just a fifteen minute flight away,  it was too late.   He was rushed into surgery and given six and a half pints of blood, but his heart had been too long without blood, and wouldn't take them.  He died at 4:17 pm of hemmorhagic shock.   The OR nurse said Loren was "the most cooperative patient she'd ever had". At 5:15 an orderly responded to  Loren's waiting wife suprisedly,
"Oh didn't you know?  He's dead".

Loren's sweet, strong, brave heart beat on for four and a half hours, without blood.  Four and a half hours.   The coroner said he'd never seen an 81 year old man in such amazing shape.   Loren took excellent care of his body (vehicle).  He lotioned and massaged every part of his body that needed it, like conditioning fine leather.  He took no pills, and did hard manual labor every day to keep fit.  He laughed at gyms.  "A waste of good energy", he''d say.  He had a desire to accomplish a lot more in his life. 
Loren made a pact with his daughter, to live well, until he was over 100.


His wife was lied to and kept away from him the whole time he was dying out in yard, by the marina office employees,  and then at the hospital.  Loren and his wife had been very close the night before, as they usually did when company was coming.   They  made an oath to each other, to hold each other's hands until they died.  Only lies could have kept them apart.  His wife and children will live with the horror of him dying alone, the rest of their lives.  Loren and Mary Jane would have been married sixty years in January.

The Ft. Pierce police wrote his death off as an "industrial accident".  Wasn't that term just used for employees?  So, the beginning of Loren's family's struggle for legal action, was to be the lawsuit.  Loren never believed in suing.  He believed in "an eye for an eye".  Loren's family vowed to take legal action against  all who were guilty in the marina.  They got what they heard was a red hot lawyer, Lee "Pete" Muschott.   Harbortown settle out of court, not for the maximum amount, much to the family's surprise. One million dollars is reserved for Christ, and then, maybe not.  Loren's family just assumed there'd be no question as to his worth.  He was honored as one of the five father's of the first USA digital computer, AVIDAC, and was as a prime developer of the Harpoon Missle and many other of our nation's defense projects.  

But his most illustrious position, was one of the kingpin in his familys' lives.  Still he's dead, and the dead can't fight for themselves.  If it had been one of Loren's family to be killed, instead of him, God would have been the only one to have been able to help the people responsible.  Loren was a tireless defender of justice.


The past year and a half, Loren's family has been taught a lesson about a man's worth.  They've been put on the defensive, trying to convince the marina's insurance company of Loren's $$$ worth, so that it would impress the Ft. Pierce police to reopen the investigation.  "After all, how much was that old guy worth?"    LT. SAVAGE SAID TO HIS DAUGHTER AT THE END OF MAY, 2004, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST LET YOUR FATHER REST IN PEACE, MARY ANN?WHEN SHE ASKED HIM TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION.  "COME  ON, HE WAS OLD.  HE ALREADY LIVED A GOOD LONG LIFE.  AT LEAST HIS DEATH WAS FAST.  AT LEAST HE GOT TO DO WHAT HE WANTED TO DO BEFORE HE DIED."  ETC.  are some of the statements that his family has heard the past year.   Shock, no one ever said that about Loren when he was alive. 

Old men are  a dime a dozen, in Florida.  Nonproductive leaches.  Good ridance.
Punishment?  The two men involved and tthe marina yard owners, and managers,  are still walking free.   Loren's beloved boat is untended...and Harbor Towne Marina is still collecting his  rent for  his beloved Crealock 34.  Only four flimsy supports.  "Don't worry about the gaps, it'll settle on the keel.    Four are all that are required.   It's right here in the manual."
Business is business, you know, and business must go on.  God help you.
Loren was a tireless defender of justice.  He's not resting in peace.

Please follow the links below for a glimpse  into Loren's life:
Early Life   Husband    Father    Engineer and Artist    Grandpa and Great-Grandpa     Sailor   and    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
In appreciation

Loren's' family is grateful for the outpouring of shock and dismay over his tragic and 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 that he 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 knowlege,  unquenchable curiousity, friendliness, and innocent humor with everyone that crossed his path.  People were drawn to his sweetness.  Even a girl at the Dairy Queen in Ft. Pierce, gave Dad a "Sweetie Pie" discount card.  Whoever you are out there, please know that, that little act, gave Dad great pleasure.  Thank you so much.  He appreciated the little things that people did for others.  He did them too.

Loren's family and friends would appreciate if you would forward  any  pictures or stories about Loren you'd like to share on this website, to the email address below.  His untimely death left us with no time to emotionally prepare for it.  We need all the memories we can find of our beloved Loren.
Thank you 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 Mary Ann, Loren's daughter to:

 webmaster@lorencollins.com
This happy trio is the one that would have been sailing off into the sunset together on May 12th, 2003, the day Loren was brutally killed.. It's so good to have this picture of Dave Thompson, Dad, and Mom, all having a good time together.  The photo was taken at Dave and Pat's "Moving to Tennessee" party, at Tony's house in Austin. Thank you Tony.  You're a good friend.
Dad and his Catalina on Lake Austin, Texas in 1993.
1st Mate Mom is having a great time riding the waves with her Captain at the helm. Cute little ponytails, eh? Being with Dad, sometimes was like going on an exciting carnival ride. 
Captain Dad at the helm of Archimedes in Freeport, Bahamas heading for Jack Tar Marina.  Look closely and you'll see his little smirk.  He loved sailing his boat.  The
guy sure knew how to have good clean fun.