Donna Misner Collins

1948 - 2025

Donna Misner Collins
02/11/1948 - 01/11/2025
Donna Misner Collins was born Donna Lynn Misner at Memorial Hospital in Houston, Texas in 1948 to Marilyn Riley and Charles Iler Misner. She died, quite unexpectedly at age 76, on January 11, 2025 at Houston Methodist Hospital following complications from a minor infection that rapidly led to sudden cardiac arrest.
Donna lived much of her childhood in a tiny wooden bungalow in Golden Acres, a community southeast of downtown Pasadena, Texas. Her father was a professional musician in the US Navy, so the family sometimes made temporary moves to military bases. Notably, she lived in Cuba when her father was stationed at Guantanamo, during the years of the revolution. She and her family had to flee the island on short notice in an intense and unanticipated return home, but she had fond memories of interacting with the local community off-base and the beauty of the island during her time there. Donna also enjoyed visits to her father's relatives, the Ilers, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, throughout her early youth.
During her adolescent years, Donna attended Southmore Junior High, Sam Rayburn High, and South Houston High. Along with her close friend, Ron Kerbow, she developed a love of classical music and attended Houston Symphony performances frequently from an early age. She also loved big band and classic jazz music (with a particular appreciation for the vocal performances of Ella Fitzgerald and musical compositions of Cole Porter), and played the oboe in band at school.
Donna was the first in her family to attend college. She matriculated at Rice University in 1966, where she initially studied mathematics, later switching to sociology and anthropology. During her junior year, she met a young freshman in the Rice Owl Band, George Clifford Collins, at an event where they were playing in New Orleans. She found herself enamored of his clean-cut charm, and the couple married at the Rice Chapel in the winter of 1970, just after Donna graduated. Their wedding was officiated by Dr. J. Robert Moffett of First Christian Church, where they attended services together. Also in 1970, Donna was awarded the Rice Owl Band "Black Fedora"—the organization's highest annual honor—bestowed upon only one band member each year for their outstanding contributions. Donna's roommate and close friend at Rice was Linda Faye Williams, the first black woman to graduate from Rice.
Donna went on to pursue graduate studies at Rice, earning both an MA and PhD in behavioral science. Her dissertation advisor was a young Dr. Stephen Klineberg, who became a good friend, and is now known throughout the country for his sociological studies of Houston. Donna's graduate work focused on the Greek community in Houston, and she spent time learning the Greek language and traditions of Greece, interacting with members of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral and organizers of Houston's Greek Festival, and picking up advanced photography skills for the many photos included in her publication, "Ethnic Identification: The Greek Americans of Houston, Texas."
Following her time at Rice, Donna worked for fourteen years as a sociology professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Her students loved her down-to-earth teaching style, and interest to interact with the undergraduate community—she was among the few faculty members that sang in the student choir. When her three children were in their pre-school years, she volunteered to serve as the President of "Poe Co" (Poe Cooperative Nursery School), a nonprofit parent-teacher cooperative designed to encourage neighborhood families to enter the HISD public school system.
While working at St. Thomas, Donna decided to pursue yet another degree, and obtained a second Bachelor's from University of Houston Clear Lake in computer and information sciences. She then began working in industry as a technical trainer at Tenneco, MW Kellogg, and finally Transco Energy (later acquired by Williams). She shifted to safety training where she adeptly leveraged her skills as a sociologist, technologist, and gifted photographer to create gas pipeline safety videos based on respectfully and compassionately telling the real-life stories of those who had suffered traumatic accidents. Her work was inspirational to all her colleagues, and many were moved to tears by her presentations. Those she interviewed were often uplifted to know someone was taking an interest in learning about the devastating moment that changed their lives forever.
Donna was adventurous, and a life-long learner and explorer. Around age 50, she began studying Spanish via international immersion programs, and also became an avid scuba diver, eventually completing over 300 dives. In 2004, she walked the Camino de Santiago in the name of her late nephew, Christopher Erne, who tragically died in a fire at only 16 years of age. She subsequently walked Hadrian's Wall in the UK. During retirement, she studied Russian and became involved as a board member at the Russian Cultural Center. She was an active patron of the Houston Symphony and many Houston area theatres and arts organizations.
Though residing in Houston, she constantly traveled the world during the final 25 years of her life, driven by her love of cultures, languages, photography, and diving—visiting over 130 countries in total—and sharing her outgoing enthusiasm with everyone she met. Her travel photos captured incredible personalities and moments, and were professional in caliber, winning awards and featured in articles.
Donna's husband George passed away in 2020 from progressive supranuclear palsy. She is survived by her three sons, Nicholas (spouse Tatiana Ermakova), Andrew, and Benjamin (spouse Monica); grandsons Anton Ermakov, Alexander, and Hudson; sisters Sue Jean (spouse Bruce), Jennie Johns, and Felice Aboud (spouse John); cousin Tina Harrell (spouse Mark); brothers-in-law Billy (spouse Marian), Eddie (spouse Marie), and Johnny (spouse Darcy); and many extended family members.
Donna was a lifetime lover of the arts, and a supporter of many worthy causes. Recommended organizations for memorial donations include the Houston Area Parkinson Society, Houston Symphony, Main Street Theater, Houston Grand Opera, Rice Shepherd School of Music, and Asia Society Texas.