By Staff
FALKLAND — Mr. Roger Mann Collins III, 65, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Wednesday morning at his home in Falkland.
A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Farmville. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery in Nashville, NC at a later date.
Mr. Collins, a native of Welch, West Virginia, moved to Greenville when he was 2. He was a 1962 graduate of J.H. Rose High School and attended NC State University, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He cherished the lasting friendships from those college days. In 1966, he joined the US Coast Guard Reserve and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, achieving the rank of Port Securitymen 2nd Class. He continued to serve until 1972.
In 1966 he joined his father in Coastal Refrigeration Co., Inc., which he has owned and operated for 27 years. He was an active member of the Greenville Jaycees until aging out in 1979, and was also a committed supporter of Ducks Unlimited, serving as Regional Chairman.
For the past 30 years he had been a resident of Falkland, where he served as mayor for 17 years and was currently serving on the town board. He was also a devoted part of the Farmville community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club. An active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Farmville, he served on the Vestry as Senior Warden and had assisted with the youth program. Perhaps most rewarding to him, Roger was instrumental in starting and faithfully serving in the Farmville Community Outreach Kitchen.
He loved fishing and duck hunting with his sons and friends, aided by his chocolate lab, Remmy. The Pamlico River and Hyde County areas had a special place in his heart, providing him with many friends and good times over the years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roger Mann Collins Jr. and Elizabeth Turnage Collins.
He is survived by his: wife of 42 years, Joy Morrill Collins; two sons, Howard Morrill Collins and wife Kelly, of Raleigh; and Andrew Jowdy “A.J.” Collins and wife Elizabeth, of Philadelphia, PA; daughter, Sunny C. Davis and husband Matt, of Raleigh; two granddaughters Logan and Riley, and grandson Cooper Collins, all of Raleigh; two sisters, Kitty C. Borders and husband John, of Sandusky, OH; and Sarah C. Davenport and husband Lawrence, of Pactolus.
The family will receive friends Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wilkerson Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Community Outreach Kitchen, PO Box 48, Farmville, NC 27828, or Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 3492 South Walnut St., Farmville, NC 27828.
Online condolences may be made at www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com.
Paid Obituary