OBITUARY – TERRY COLLINS
It was August 23. 1949 in Belrose, New York, when John and Mary Kelly were blessed with the first of eight magnificent children. They named her Terese…no “h” near the front; no “a” at the end. When the nuns insisted she was spelling her name wrong, Terese dug her heals in and insisted they take it up with her mother. She did not suffer fools lightly then or ever.
Terry’s parents moved to Glen Cove, Long Island where she got her primary education at St. Patrick’s and then went on to Our Lady of Mercy Academy, an internationally renowned young ladies finishing school. After her studies at Hofstra, she took on New York City. Apple of her eye, she devoured it living at the world-famous Chelsea Hotel and later a few buildings west of The Dakota, where John Lennon was her neighbor.
Advancing in magazine layout and production, she moved into merchandising and served as Merchandising Manager for McGraw Hill’s flagship publication – BusinessWeek™. There she organized major international sales events on a grand scale.
One bright fall afternoon she attended a major dressage event at the Fairfield Hunt Club in Connecticut. She came home with a slightly sunburned nose and a heart on fire. She trained and won her first blue ribbon at that same venue. Her world had changed and she had to have land of her own.
She found Brownington, “As close to heaven as you can get”. From here she traveled throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont giving individual lessons and clinics. She was fond of teaching, “There is never anything wrong with a horse that wouldn’t improve with a better schooled rider” because it is never the horse’s fault.
Locally she served as a Brownington auditor, on the Board of Directors for the Orleans County Community Justice Center, and Board Chair for Northeast Kingdom Human Services. She taught religious education at St. Theresa’s in Orleans. She served as an extraordinary eucharistic minister and lector at St Mary Star of the Sea in Newport.
Her last working role was as General Manager at Northeast Kingdom Home Care and The Meeting Place in Newport.
In church she sang boldly, as if auditioning for the Choir of Angels. Odds are good they have a new member.
Terry passed peacefully on August 27, 2025 in Newport, Vermont. Friends may call on Thursday September 4, 2025 from 6-8 P.M. at the Curtis-Britch & Bouffard Funeral Home, 12 Elm Street ,Barton. A funeral mass will be held at St. Theresa of the Child of Jesus Church, 44 East St, Orleans on Friday September 5, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. with the Rev. Greg Caldwell celebrating a mass of Christian burial. Burial will follow at the Brownington Village Cemetery on the Hinman Settler Rd. in Brownington. Terry’s “after party” will take place at the Grange Hall adjacent.
Terry is survived by her husband Bill Collins, her five sisters, Nancy (Bob) Grant, Jean (Rob) Kelly, Lynn Kelly, Patsy (Sal) Vaglica, Laura (Jim) Shea and two brothers John Kelly and Jim (Kathy) Kelly. She will be missed by ever so many neighbors and friends.
She is predeceased by her parents, John and Mary.
A special thanks to the staff at North Country Hospital whose tender, skilled care and excellent advice helped make her last days as comfortable as could be imagined.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Mary Theotokos Retreat Center, 572 Lake Rd, West Burke, VT 05871. On-line condolences are welcome at curtis-britch.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Curtis-Britch & Bouffard Funeral Home, & Cremation Service, locally family owned and operated.
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