Dean Cannon Collins

1929 - 2014

Dean Cannon Collins completed his life journey on Saturday, July 19, 2014. A service in celebration of his life, under the direction of Stumpff Funeral Home, will be held on Friday, July 25, 2014 at 2:00 pm, at East Cross United Methodist Church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Bartlesville will follow immediately.
Dean Cannon Collins was born July 8, 1929, to William Dean and Lillian Irene Taylor Collins, in San Benito, Texas. Active in Boy Scouts, Methodist Church Youth, DeMolays, Glee Club under Ed Hatchett, Student Council, the school newspaper and yearbook staffs, he graduated from San Benito High School in 1946. At the tender age of 17, he headed off to College Station and the great adventure of life as an Aggie at Texas A&M. A member of the Corps of Cadets, Class of 1950, Dean was a tenor in the Singing Cadets, and received his degree in Chemical Engineering.
He was hired by Phillips Petroleum Company, first at Sweeny, Texas, and then transferred to Bartlesville, until he was called to active duty in the US Army. In Korea, Dean was assigned as a supply officer. Some of his duties included keeping the PX stocked, maintenance and distribution of gas masks, and occasional trips to the front lines to deliver paychecks to the infantry troops.
Before leaving for Korea, Dean met Margaret Louise (Peggy) Chew. He called her Peg o' his heart, and knew before he left for Inchon that he wanted to marry her when he returned. They were married on November 13, 1953, in Bartlesville. They made their home in Bartlesville, and had three children, before a transfer to Sweeny, Texas in late 1959. January 1966 brought the family back to Bartlesville, where they have been since.
Dean was active in the Methodist church, Boy Scouts, B&B Investment Club, and the PPCo Refining Division Retirees. He was preceded in death by his parents, and one son-in-law, Mark Hoxsie. He is survived by his wife, Peggy, of the home, daughter Carol Collins of Bartlesville, son William Dean Collins II & Kristin Julian of Dallas, Texas, and son James Taylor Collins & Judith Vidito Collins of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Dean is also survived by five grandchildren, Garrett Vidito (& wife Tayna), Andrew Collins, and James, Sarah, and Carrie Ellyn Hoxsie, by four great-granddaughters, Piper, Farrah, Jillian, & Gia Vidito, and by his sister Ann Collins Haggard and her husband Tom, of Montrose, Colorado. Dean is also survived by his mother-in-law, Wilda Chew, sister-in-law Betty Werts, several nieces and nephews, and a small number of cousins, all of whom were treasured by him.
Dean Collins walked gently on this earth, bearing ill will toward none. He loved music, art, architecture, nature, photography, history, Bible study and, almost more than anything else, knowing how things worked. He greeted everyone he met with a smile and felt privileged by the life he led. Memorial gifts may be made in Dean's name to the Association of Former Singing Cadets, Texas A&M University, L 110 -- MSC, College Station, Texas 77802, or to East Cross United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, at 820 S. Madison Blvd., Bartlesville, OK, 74006.
Friends who wish may sign the online guest book and leave condolences at www.stumpff.org.