Terri Lynn Collins, 58, of Norwood, Colo., took the Lord’s hand when He called on Feb. 2, 2013, at her home. Terri was born April 27, 1954, to James Larry and Dorothy Delores (Morrow) Gustafson in Denver, Colo. Dorothy married George Bush and the family moved to Meeker, Colo., where she spent her childhood with her brother, Gary Lee. At the age of 16, her stepfather passed away, and the family moved to Phoenix, Ariz. Terri was graduated from Cortez High School in 1972. Her heart was with her classmates in Meeker. After a short marriage to Dennis Koenig, Terri married Alfred ‘Bailey’ Collins in 1975, and they resided in Fruita, Colo. Terri worked as an accounting manager at Lower Valley Hospital and Nursing Home in Fruita. The family moved to Norwood, Colo., and made their home on a ranch. Terri was employed as a receptionist, then as an office manager at the Norwood Clinic. She later went to work as a teller at the Bank of Telluride until she became disabled and was no longer able to work.
Terri had a great love for the medical patients she cared for. She enjoyed her phone calls, gifts and homemade cards, as well as “snail mail letters,” as she would say. She loved the outdoors and feeding wild birds. Enjoying Mother Nature was always a gift she cherished. Interacting with animals was her passion.
Surviving family members include her husband, Alfred Bailey Collins; sons, Andrew (Tammy) Collins of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Bobby Jo (Marcie) Collins of Montrose, Colo.; a half-sister, Chrissie (Tom) Rosenof of Casper, Wyo.; seven grandchildren, four biological. Terri was preceded in death by her father, two stepfathers, her mother and her brother.
A memorial service in celebration of Terri’s life was held on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, at the Redvale Church with Pastor Clint Perry officiating.