Deirdre Carol Collins

COLLINS, Deirdre Carol 1963-2006 Memorial service for Deirdre Carol Collins will be at 1:23 p.m., Saturday, September 9, 2006 at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 845 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, California, with Rev. Drs. Barbara Anderson and Mark Smutny officiating. Deirdre died surrounded in love by family and friends, at about 8:35 p.m. Thursday, August 17, 2006, as a result of complications from a heart attack on April 4. There will be a memorial gathering in Chicago, Illinois at the home of Alex and Barbara Murfey at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2006. Deirdre was born April 13, 1963 in Independence, Missouri, the daughter of James Mark Purcell and Carolann Bingham Purcell. While still young, she moved to Peoria, Illinois. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and was graduated cum laude from Bradley University in Peoria. She taught mathematics at Mt. Carmel High School and at Francis Parker High School, both in Chicago, before attending graduate school. She earned master's degrees in Mathematics and in Mathematics Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She taught at Wright College, Kennedy-King College, Oakton Community College, Roosevelt University, and DePaul University, all in the Chicago area. On July 25, 1998 she married Sterrett Joel Collins in Galesburg, Illinois. They moved to California, where she taught and served as Mathematics department chair at Victor Valley Community College, and then was Associate Professor of Mathematics at Glendale Community College until her death. She served as governor-at-large and as treasurer of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges. She was an active member of Pasadena Presbyterian Church. She was also a member of the Glendale Quilt Guild, in whose annual show, several of her quilts had been shown. She was also a member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society both in Illinois and in California. She is survived by her husband, Sterrett Collins of Glendale; her mother, Carolann Purcell of Peoria, Illinois; her brother, Bruce Purcell of Peoria, Illinois; her Uncle Robert Bingham of Norfolk, Virginia; her Aunt and uncle, Elizabeth Cole and Frank Zimnicki of Connecticut; her uncle and aunt, William and Patricia Purcell of Middletown, Ohio; and many colleagues, friends, and family. She was predeceased by her father in 1991. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Deirdre Collins Memorial, Glendale College Foundation, 1500 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA 91208; or to Pasadena Presbyterian Church.