Joseph Wilfred Collins, 96, a resident of Westport, MA, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 of natural causes. He was born in Syracuse, NY, in 1928 to Wilfred and Theresa Collins, where he excelled academically and was valedictorian of his high school class. He caddied as a boy and developed a lifelong love of golf as both a player and a fan. Joseph attended Niagra College, where he served in the Army ROTC, and after graduating with a B.S. degree, returned home to attend Syracuse University, where he earned his PhD in organic chemistry, while still working as a caddy at Bellevue Country Club.
Joseph was hired out of grad school by Arnold Hoffman (later acquired by ICI) in Providence, RI, where he worked as a research chemist. In Providence, he met his beloved wife of 48 years, Barbara Jean O’Neill, a widow with five children. They were married in 1956 and resided in Cranston and Bristol, RI, when by 1969 their family grew to include four more children and several grandchildren. Then ICI relocated the family to New Jersey, where Joseph managed a Teflon manufacturing plant in Bayonne, NJ.
In 1959, Joseph had purchased a lot on Cherry & Webb Lane at Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA, and in 1960 he and his father built the cottage where his large family of nine children spent every summer until 1973, when it became the family’s primary residence after he left ICI to take a new job with Kendall Corporation in Walpole, MA. The beach cottage was renovated in 1975, and it was his home for the rest of his life. In the 1970’s, his wife, Barbara, founded B&J Collins Associates, a Shaklee nutritional products distributorship, which Joseph took over after she died in 2004; he ran this business throughout his retirement years.
Joseph is survived by his sister, Marie Stanton of Syracuse, NY; his children: Richard Dobbyn of Nahant, MA, Dennis Dobbyn of Warren, RI, Phyllis Dobbyn Adams of Rochester, MA, Paula Emilita of Westport, MA, Stephen Collins of Westport, MA, J. Vincent Collins of Westport, MA, Mark Collins of Somerset, MA, and Barbara Collins of North Providence, RI. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Barbara, father Wilfred, mother Theresa, brother John, sister Joanne, daughter Christina Wood, grandson Daniel, and granddaughter Emily.
While Joseph is remembered with love and affection by all of his grandchildren, he had a major impact on the lives of two of his granddaughters, Jaqueline and Olivia Collins, who resided with him and their father, J. Vincent Collins, after their beloved mother, Susan Collins, died of breast cancer in 2008.
Joseph actively supported the local community, serving as a docent for the Buzzards Bay Coalition for 15 years and was named the coalition’s 2013 volunteer of the year. He also assisted older adults by preparing their tax returns at the Westport Council on Aging.
In 1968, Joseph spent six months in Blackpool, England working for ICI. During that time, he regularly played golf at Royal Lythum and toured Scotland to play several famous courses, including St. Andrews. In his later years, Joseph would serve as a volunteer at New England PGA Tour events and in 2007 traveled to Southern Pines, NC, to volunteer at the LPGA U.S. Women’s Open.
A long-term member of the Westport Yacht Club, Joseph enjoyed sailing the Westport River in his Beetle Cat and Point Jude. He was also an avid fan of Indy Car Racing, which was sparked by watching Indy Car pioneers race at the dirt track in Syracuse during the 1950’s. He followed the Indianapolis 500 every Memorial Day weekend fervently and was finally able to attend the race in 1989, realizing a lifelong goal.
Visitation will be held Saturday, June 29, from 9-11 AM at Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Road, Westport, MA. A private celebration of life for family and close friends will follow at 11 AM.
In remembrance of Joseph’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to the Buzzards Bay Coalition or Westport Council on Aging.