Mary C. Collins

Mary C. Collins, 88, of Crystal Lake, was born on August 19, 1931 to Agnes and Albert Nieman and passed away peacefully on March 14, 2020. Mary was the loving mother of Jim (Lisa) Collins, Mary (David) Leveille, Chris Collins, Charlie (Mary Anne) Collins, Meagan (Scott) Freund, Michael (Irma) Collins; cherished grandma of Brian, Kevin, Jimmy, Shannon (Sam), Connor, Colleen, Erin, Megan, Natalie, Victoria, Craig, Riley, Collin, Thomas, Salma, Sean; dear aunt, cousin and friend of many. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, James Edward Collins; sister, Ione; and brothers, Bud and Herb.

Mary was the cofounder of The Little Christopher’s Resale Shop, Crystal Lake. She was known in the St. Thomas School community as "Grandma Christmas" and also for her many acts of kindness and home cooked meals for the priests of St. Thomas and many throughout the community. The family would like to extend their appreciation and gratitude to the caring staff at Sunrise Assisted Living of Crystal Lake and her JourneyCare Hospice Team.

Mary's Visitation, Funeral Mass and Interment will be held privately at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church for the family due to the recent policies set in place for COVID-19. A Public Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date; please check back in the coming weeks for complete details.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church or JourneyCare Foundation, www.journeycare.org/donate . Mary’s family would like to encourage those who knew her to perform a random act of kindness in her memory.