Obituary for Joan M. Collins (Prosser)
Joan Marie (Prosser) Collins, passed away peacefully, May 9, 2022, at the Hope Hospice House in Fort Myers, FL after a brief illness. She was born on October 18, 1935, in Worcester, MA to the late Gordon A. and Loretta A. (Nettle) Prosser, but resided in Shrewsbury, MA for most of her life. She was a longtime member of St. Anne’s Parish and attended both Major Beal High School and Worcester Girls Trade. She eventually became a hairdresser and, as fate would have it, worked just across the street from the gas station where her future husband, William “Bill” Collins worked. When they got married, they decided to build a home and raise a family in Shrewsbury as well.
Joan worked as a school bus driver for Weagle Bus Co. and enjoyed it so much…she stayed for twenty years! She loved her Kindergarten run the most and enjoyed making treats for the children, decorating her bus, and dressing up in costumes for Halloween or as Santa Claus at Christmas. When her husband Bill retired, they relocated to Simpsonville, SC but instead of relaxing and enjoying retirement, she got another job driving a school bus and worked for another ten years!
Joan loved to look through old family photos and share stories about her life growing up in Shrewsbury and of the happy memories she had of her brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends. She was a loving wife and mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who had a strong Catholic faith that she helped instill in her children. She enjoyed bowling and playing on leagues with Bill, playing card games with her grandchildren, and watching crime dramas on television, but she took extra pleasure in challenging her husband to a nightly Scrabble match… which she won most of the time. She was also a fantastic hostess, and everyone looked forward to her big family parties with lots of food, laughter, and fun. She loved the ocean and enjoyed walking the beaches in Maine, trips to the Brookfield apple orchard, and taking road trips to Disney World with the family.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband, William M. Collins and her son, James M. Collins. She is survived by her sisters, Barbara M. Zona and Beverly A. Corazzini, and brothers, Gordon G. Prosser, Sr. and David F. Prosser; her daughters, Carolyn Price (and husband Jim), Kathleen Walker (and husband Scott Read), Sandy Henderson (and husband Richard); her daughter-in-law, Lindsay Collins; thirteen grandchildren; one great-grandson; and many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to remember Joan’s life by gathering on Tuesday, July 12th at 11:00am at Britton Funeral Home, 648 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA. Burial will follow, where she will be interred alongside her husband Bill at Mountain View Cemetery, Boylston Street, Shrewsbury, MA.
Joan worked as a school bus driver for Weagle Bus Co. and enjoyed it so much…she stayed for twenty years! She loved her Kindergarten run the most and enjoyed making treats for the children, decorating her bus, and dressing up in costumes for Halloween or as Santa Claus at Christmas. When her husband Bill retired, they relocated to Simpsonville, SC but instead of relaxing and enjoying retirement, she got another job driving a school bus and worked for another ten years!
Joan loved to look through old family photos and share stories about her life growing up in Shrewsbury and of the happy memories she had of her brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends. She was a loving wife and mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who had a strong Catholic faith that she helped instill in her children. She enjoyed bowling and playing on leagues with Bill, playing card games with her grandchildren, and watching crime dramas on television, but she took extra pleasure in challenging her husband to a nightly Scrabble match… which she won most of the time. She was also a fantastic hostess, and everyone looked forward to her big family parties with lots of food, laughter, and fun. She loved the ocean and enjoyed walking the beaches in Maine, trips to the Brookfield apple orchard, and taking road trips to Disney World with the family.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband, William M. Collins and her son, James M. Collins. She is survived by her sisters, Barbara M. Zona and Beverly A. Corazzini, and brothers, Gordon G. Prosser, Sr. and David F. Prosser; her daughters, Carolyn Price (and husband Jim), Kathleen Walker (and husband Scott Read), Sandy Henderson (and husband Richard); her daughter-in-law, Lindsay Collins; thirteen grandchildren; one great-grandson; and many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to remember Joan’s life by gathering on Tuesday, July 12th at 11:00am at Britton Funeral Home, 648 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA. Burial will follow, where she will be interred alongside her husband Bill at Mountain View Cemetery, Boylston Street, Shrewsbury, MA.