…UPS driver, USMC veteran; 79
TEWKSBURY - Mr. John Michael “Hacker” Collins, age 79, a Veteran and retired United Parcel Service truck driver, died Tuesday, October 8, at Westford House, after a long period of declining health.
John was born in Salem, Massachusetts in April 1940, a son of the late William F. and Marie (Fitzmaurice) Collins, and was raised in Salem. He was a member of Salem High School’s Class of 1958 and was the Captain of the Golf Team. Upon graduation he enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps where he played golf for the 10th Regimental Golf Team and was honorably discharged in 1962 as a Corporal.
In his early years, John worked for A.C. Lawrence Leather Factory in Peabody. From there he began his truck-driving career with the United Parcel Service in Watertown where he worked for many years.and the Joseph DeCosta Sausage Company in Woburn. He retired from UPS where he was a member of Teamsters Local 25 of Somerville; John was a member of the American Legion Post 259 in Tewksbury and was a proud “friend of Bill” for decades.
He leaves a beloved daughter, Karen Marie Collins and her partner Eric Gorby of Hudson, NH; a brother, Robert A. Collins of Freemont, NH; two sisters, Eleanor Rider of Brockton, MA and Barbara Lamoureux of Tewksbury; a sister-in-law Athene Collins of Pleasanton, CA, who was the wife of his late brother William P. Collins; two step-grandchildren, Adam Gorby and Shauna Gorby both of Hudson, NH; many nieces and nephews; and was predeceased by his sisters Marie Perry and Lee Ann Lane.
Visiting hours Friday, October 11, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. in the Tewksbury Funeral Home, corner of 1 Dewey and 975 Main Sts. (Rte. 38) TEWKSBURY CENTER, Ph. (978 or 800 in MA) 851 2950. His funeral will begin Saturday, October 12, at 9:00 a.m. from the Funeral Home, followed by a Funeral Mass Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in St. William’s Church, 1351 Main St. (Rte. 38) Tewksbury. Burial with USMC honors will follow at St. Mary Cemetery, No. Tewksbury. In lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105-1942 or visit www.stjude.org tewksburyfuneralhome.com