William Beck COLLINS

WILLIAM BECK COLLINS, PhD William "Bill" Collins, adored father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2023, at age 96. He was predeceased by his first wife, Marion (Petersen), in 1973; and his second wife, Joyce (Whiting), in 2003. He is survived by daughter, Patti (Randy) Skinner; stepchildren, Robert (Lan Wei) Whiting, Kenneth (Jane) Whiting, Margaret (Doug) Fletcher, Susan (Alan Deschner) Whiting and Douglas (Darlene) Whiting; twelve grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. Bill was predeceased by his parents, Charles McKittrick and Marion (Beck) Collins; and sisters, Sally Anne, Judith and Ruth. Bill was born and raised in Port Williams, NS, on December 5, 1926. He graduated with a BSc (Ag) (1948) and MSc (1954) from McGill University and a PhD (1961) from Rutgers University. From 1948-1980, he was Research Scientist, Agriculture Canada, in Fredericton, NB, where he worked to improve production of important crops such as potatoes and strawberries. He then became Program Coordinator for Agriculture Canada in Halifax, NS, until his retirement in 1992. Bill and Joyce moved to Dundas, ON, in 1995, then, after Joyce's death, Bill moved to Abbotsford, BC (2011), and Chilliwack, BC (2017). He was an avid traveller in his later years, scaling Machu Pichu at age 84. In his last year, Bill received excellent care at the Waverly Seniors Village. A celebration of Bill's life was held at Valley View Funeral Home in Surrey, BC.