Rita B Collins

Rita Bridget Collins was born 2/26/1933 in Chicago Illinois and grew up in Eau Galle Wisconsin. There were six children in the family and they all helped out in various ways on the family farm. Mom always told me she was very quiet and shy and enjoyed reading in her spare time. The Catholic faith, importance of education and a strong work ethic were taught at very young ages. Mom considered becoming a nun but a college education was very important to her mother and she wanted mom to experience that first. After she graduated from high school, she moved to Chicago and started a job at the local bank while enrolling and beginning college at Mundelein College. During her early year of college, she met and married Paul Collins. They moved to Milwaukee and had four children, Michael, Timothy, Richard and Mary. At 34 mom moved to California and ran a successful home daycare business while raising four busy children. In her 40’s she decided to go back to college and complete her degree. Through night classes and a desire to complete she achieved her degree at 48. She worked for General Electric as a cash receipts specialist and eventually retired from Macy’s at the age of 73. Many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren filled her life with love and laughter. Mom was a strong woman filled with kindness and hope. Work ethic, kindness, family and faith was who she was and what she taught us our whole lives. She was a mom that everyone deserves to have and we were blessed and privileged that she was ours.