Francis J. Collins

Francis J. (Fran) Collins
Francis J. (Fran) Collins of Oxford, a longtime resident of Brookfield, passed peacefully on December 6th. He was born in 1933 in Danbury, the youngest of six children to Thomas and Sara Collins. He attended St. Joseph's School in Danbury and graduated from Danbury High School in 1951, where he met his lifelong best friend, Lloyd Cutsumpas on the first day of high school. He attended Danbury State Teachers College, now Western Connecticut State University, then transferred to Miami of Ohio. He graduated from Miami and served his country in the US Army. He returned to Danbury and met the love of his life, Dora Rencsko, who predeceased him in 2018. They married on August 4, 1956 and enjoyed 62 years of marriage before Dora's passing.
Together, they moved to Hartford so Fran could attend UConn Law School. During this time he worked in the insurance industry while attending law school at night and starting a family. By the time Fran graduated, they were the parents of three children. With his law degree in hand, the growing family returned to Danbury where he opened a law practice with his best friend, Lloyd Cutsumpas, who had also become an attorney. They established their practice, Cutsumpas & Collins, on West Street in Danbury in 1963. In the ensuing years, they moved their practice to 148 Deer Hill Avenue in Danbury, where the firm conducts its practice today. After Lloyd Cutsumpas left and became a judge for the Connecticut Superior Court, Fran continued his practice under the Collins Hannafin, P.C. name. In 2018, he reduced his role there and became of counsel. He was still consulting a few longtime clients at his passing. Fran enjoyed a long, illustrious and rewarding law career which included working with some of his closest friends: Eddie Hannafin, Jack Garamella, Paul Jaber, John Tuozzolo, E. O'Malley Smith and Tom Beecher and others too numerous to mention.
Fran was a longtime recipient of an AV Peer Review Rating™ by Martingale-Hubble®, a legal directory. He was counsel to the Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals for several decades in addition to serving as Brookfield Town Attorney. He served as the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning and Environmental Commission attorney for many years. His record of public service included serving as the state representative in the Connecticut House of Representatives for four terms representing Brookfield and Bethel in the 107th District. During this time, he held the leadership post of minority leader and was elevated to the Speaker of the House in 1973. In 1974, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination of Governor. He was part of the Republican "Kiddie Corps" in the early 1970s, which ended 16 years of Democratic rule, with the election of Tom Meskill as Governor and Lowell Weicker as U.S. Senator. This cadre of young supporters included his lifelong friends, Brian Gaffney, Jerry Stevens and Alan Nevas. He also served as a mentor for the late Jodi Rell, former Connecticut Governor and a fellow Brookfield resident. Like Fran, Jodi Rell started her political career in the 107th District, and Fran fostered her rise to Lieutenant Governor and eventually to Governor in 2004. He served 6 years as a member of the State Judicial Selection Commission and several years as a member of the state and local Grievance Committees. He was an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, a trial referee and a member of the Danbury, Connecticut and American Bar Associations. Among his other service activities, he was director and past chairman of the Danbury Chamber of Commerce. He was also a director and Chairman of the Board of the Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company, CATIC, and CATIC Financial, Inc., its holding company. He was a longtime member of the Brookfield Lions Club, a devoted supporter of the Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut and was instrumental in its campaign to build the center for comfort care and healing alongside his friend and colleague, Jodi Rell. He was a six-decade member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church of Brookfield congregation. In 2017, he received the Community Service award from the Community Institute for Communities.
Fran was an amazing husband, to his wife Dora, father and grandfather to his five children and his grandchildren. He enjoyed many days playing golf with friends Harry and Ursula Compton at the Lake Waramaug Country Club, where he was a longtime member. He was also an avid skier in both Vermont and Colorado, where he enjoyed many a day traversing the trails with his wife, children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed hiking and exercising, which he continued until his passing.
He was predeceased by his wife, Dora, his parents, Tom and Sara; his five siblings, Doris, Tom, Cecilia, Robert and Mary. He was also predeceased by his youngest child, Kyle, in 2025. He is survived by his children and their spouses: Kevin and Bonnie Collins of Kennebunk, Maine, Keith and Kerry Burns-Collins of Middlebury, Vermont; Kathleen and David Singleton of Avon, Colorado; and Kristy and John Donaghy of Nashua, New Hampshire. He is also survived by his grandchildren and their spouses or partners: Quinten Collins and Colette Penniello of Bristol, Vermont; Connor and Hanna Collins of Fairfax, Virginia; Brian and Ashley Donaghy of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Sara Donaghy of Nashua, NH. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law: Alice, Judy, and Susan and his nieces and nephews. He was also looking forward to the birth of his first great-grandchild by Brian and Ashley in 2026.
Family and friends will be received on Friday, December 12, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home; 9 Granville Avenue, Danbury. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in Saint Joseph's Church; 1 Obtuse Hill Road, Brookfield. Interment will take place privately.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Fran's memory to: Regional Hospice, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810; Brookfield Lions Charities, P.O. Box 660, Brookfield, CT, 06804; or St. Joseph's Church, 163 Whisconier Road, Brookfield, CT 06804.