Gary Wayne Collins

1958 ∼ 2019

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Gary Wayne Collins, 60, of Beaumont, Texas passed away May 28, 2019 after battling cancer for the past 3 years. He was born in Beaumont, Texas on September 26, 1958 to the late Thomas Joseph Collins and Wanda Sue Willis Collins. Gary graduated from Nederland High School in 1976. He lived in Nederland all of his life. Gary served his community as a firefighter for over 42 years, where he began as a volunteer at the Nederland Fire Department at the age of 18. He served as the Fire Chief for the Nederland Fire Department from 2005 until 2019 when he retired. Gary attained the rank of Eagle Scout and was a member of the Church of Christ Church in Nederland. He enjoyed working on classic cars and was a member of the MOPAR Car Club. He also enjoyed horses and team roping. Gary was always available with a helping hand.

Those left to cherish Gary’s memory are his wife of 16 years, Connie Sue Menge Collins of Beaumont; his sons, Cody Phelps and his wife, Sarah of Vidor and Corey Phelps of Beaumont; his sister, Michelle Kennedy and her husband, Kyle of San Antonio; his grandchildren, Cody, Brody, Callie, and Greg; and his niece, Kaitlyn Kennedy. Gary was known as “Pop” to his grandchildren whom he loved so much. He is preceded in death by his parents.

A gathering of family and friends will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at Melancon’s Funeral Home in Nederland. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at Melancon’s Funeral Home with Michael Williams and Weldon Dunlap officiants.

The family is requesting memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society, 4 Bayoubrandt Dr. Ste B, Beaumont, TX 77706, 409-924-0576 or American Kidney Foundation, 11921 Rockville Pike Ste 300, Rockville, Maryland 20852, contributions@kidneyfund.org , 1-800-638-8299.

Memorial Video

Condolences

Karen Sticker Buckner June 6, 2019

Sorry for your loss. Karen Sticker Buckner

Robbie Shipper June 3, 2019

Connie please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Remember God is always with you and will comfort you through these hard times. blessings, Robbie Shipper

Sue Burk June 2, 2019

Connie, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You all have been through so much and he was a brave man. You have my deepest sympathy. Sue Burk

Terry Riley June 2, 2019

So sorry to hear of the loss of a great man and friend. We had lots of great memories team roping in Nederland and Woodville. I remember when Gary came to Woodville and picked me up going to the Bud Lite Team Roping Finals in Dallas. We laughed all the way there. I will cherish those memories. Heaven just gained a great cowboy. Thumbs up Heavens a great ride. No more pain, no more sickness. - Terry Riley

Phyllis Theriot June 2, 2019

Phyllis Theriot lit a candle in memory of Gary Wayne Collins

Karen Fontenot June 1, 2019

Karen Fontenot lit a candle in memory of Gary Wayne Collins

Jo Amy Wynn May 31, 2019

From the time he wore size two red overalls and exhaled garlic from his constant wiener snack until his final courageous battle to overcome the ravages of his disease, Gary provided pleasure and support to the Douglass Family that produced his paternal grandmother. When possible, Gary made the journey from Nederland to Miller County, Arkansas to be present with us in times of joy and sorrow. One of his finest contributions to all of us was his kind, compassionate, and wise, care of T.J. who was his dad and our cousin. Know how grateful I am to have had the privilege of sharing earth time with Gary and look forward to being with him beyond this life. He searched for the right woman longer than most and it sure worked for him Connie! Sincerely, Jo Amy Wynn

Brenda Mougia Theriot May 31, 2019

Brenda Mougia Theriot lit a candle in memory of Gary Wayne Collins

Brenda (Douglass) Bailey May 30, 2019

Gary was a good man and a good cousin, too. He was quiet and unassuming and all the time protecting others in his chosen profession. So proud to know him, although we lived in different places and I didn't get to see him much. He was an inspiration. My thoughts and prayers go out along with love to Connie and family and Michelle and family as well as all who knew him. Heaven gained a good one! Brenda (Douglass) Bailey, Gentry, Arkansas

Melancon'S Funeral Home May 30, 2019

Melancon's Funeral Home created a Tribute Video in memory of Gary Wayne Collins

Alvin & Nancy Ducote May 30, 2019

To Gary's families & friends ... we are saddened to read of Gary's passing. We send all of you our heartfelt condolences and our prayers for God's grace and peace at this difficult time in your lives. We have some great memories of Gary when we lived in Texas and when we were all members of ACES (American Car Enthusiast Society) together. We enjoyed participating in so many monthly meetings, car shows, parades, holiday parties, Sonic runs, and all manner of car-related events with Gary; those were "the good ol' days". We sure miss those opportunities to talk car-stuff with Gary and all our other ACES members. We have to smile when we recall the times Gary would share all the funny antics and tales about him and his horse "Bob" ... a favorite is when he would describe how he would stand next to "Bob" long enough for "Bob" to just drop right off and take a nap. When he thought "Bob" was deep enough into his nap, Gary would suddenly step aside, and "Bob" would lean further and further over until he would just fall down. Gary said "Bob" didn't appreciate it much, and he would snub Gary for a while until he knew that Gary understood that "Bob" was peeved with him. It's one of those times when "ya just had to be there" and watch Gary's expressions and hear it all in his own words. We thank Gary for the good times we all shared in our younger years in Texas. We know Gary will be missed by many. Thank you, Gary, for the memories. Al & Nancy DuCote - Hot Springs Village, Arkansas