Cornelius “Neil” Charles Collins, age 79 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on June 23, 2023, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by his family.
He was a thoughtful and devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother. Neil was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late Cornelius and Julia Collins.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Sean Michael Collins.
Neil is survived by his wife of 55 years, Karen Ann Collins; daughters, Colleen (Chris) Hollis and Kelly (Craig) Cole; grandchildren, MacKenzie (Bryce) Swaim, Katelyn (Jacob) Frawley, Scott Cole, Carson Hollis, Lauren Cole; great-granddaughter, Addison Frawley; and brothers, Jack Collins, Paul (Gerrie) Collins and Wayne Collins.
After their marriage in 1968, Neil and Karen moved to Nashville and began building a life together. Neil’s business career spanned over 59 years that started at the age of 20 at Knight’s Life Insurance Company in Pittsburgh and concluded with serving as Human Resources Director at Brentwood Financial Services. With an unmatched, hardworking energy and desire to lead an active and productive life, Neil never pursued retirement and continued working from his laptop until his final days.
An avid traveler, Neil enjoyed taking his wife, children, and grandchildren on trips around the world, visiting historical sites and creating deep-rooted family traditions. He devoted his life to learning and used his wealth of knowledge to thoughtfully answer questions on any topic.
His life was rich with experiences from spending endless hours working on home improvement projects, watching Steelers football games with family and friends, instructing Alexa how to operate the many lightbulbs at home, and most importantly, with his wife by his side, attending every celebration, party, milestone, and simple gathering for his children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter. His dedication to his loved ones and his clever sense of humor will be carried forward for generations to come.
Visitation will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Woodbine Funeral Home, Hickory Chapel, 5852 Nolensville Road, Nashville, TN. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. with visitation at 10:00 a.m. at Grace Church: Nashville, 1097 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, TN 37064. https://www.woodbinefuneralhome.com
“Flowers may be sent to Woodbine Funeral Home – Hickory Chapel for the visitation” or Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society https://donate.cancer.org
For more obituaries visit https://davidsoncountysource.com/obituaries/
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