Paul Collins

Paul R. Collins, a devoted family man, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and longtime resident of Winthrop, passed away peacefully on July 7, 2025, just three days shy of his 94th birthday.
Born on July 10, 1931, in Missouri, Paul was one of nine children of Maynard and Winifred (Clark) Collins. He later moved to California before settling in Winthrop, Massachusetts, where he lived for more than 50 years.
From 1951 to 1954, Paul proudly served in the United States Coast Guard during the Korean War. Stationed in Alaska, he helped operate a LORAN station guiding ships that protected the western United States. He often shared vivid stories from those years-never losing a game of cards and once narrowly escaping a bear armed with only his wits and a.45 pistol. He was also stationed in Charlestown, MA, where he helped maintain the Custom House clock in Boston-a time he fondly remembered, as it was when he met his future wife, Dolores.
In his younger years, Paul was an avid athlete – playing high school football and competing in gymnastics competitions. He often put his skills to use climbing Coast Guard ship rigging for maintenance, and he was known for entertaining friends and family with spontaneous handstands.
After his military service, Paul began a distinguished career at General Electric – Aviation in Lynn, where he worked for over 35 years, retiring around 1988. Among his many accomplishments, he led the team that developed the dual engines for the A-10 Warthog, a key aircraft in U.S. military aviation.
Paul married Dolores Figliolino in 1954, sharing 53 years of loving marriage until her passing in 2007. In 2008, he found love again with Margherita, with whom he shared his passion for ballroom dancing and painting for nearly 17 joyful years together.
He is survived by his wife Margherita; his sons Steven (wife Valerie) and Barry (wife Patty); his stepdaughters Ida (husband Paul), Lucia (husband Jeffrey), and Andrea (husband Angel); his grandchildren Deborah, Michael (wife Jennifer), Bryan (wife Tiffany), Cassandra (partner Cody); and his step-grandchildren Stella and Adelina. Paul also leaves behind ten great-grandchildren: Jennifer, John, Jayden, Adrian, Lucas, Gabriella, Violette, Eleanor, Caroline, and baby Calliope.
Paul's life was full of quiet joys and enduring passions. He was a master card player, unbeatable at "FreeCell," a painter and photographer, and a ballroom dance enthusiast. He loved simple pleasures: books by W.E.B. Griffin and Tom Clancy, a warm cup of decaf coffee, and he never turned down a cookie, chocolate, or scoop of ice cream.
He also loved sailing, competing in regattas with his sons, Barry and Steven. He owned a Day Sailer sloop, modifying it himself to improve its performance. A lifelong New England Patriots fan, he followed the team-dating back to their Boston Patriots days-for over 60 years, never missing a game.
Paul was a man of intellect, humility, and dry humor-a mentor to many and a storyteller to all. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched and the family he so deeply cherished.
He will be dearly missed.
Family and friends will honor Paul's life by gathering at the Ruggiero Family Memorial Home, East Boston, on Wednesday, July 23rd from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and again on Thursday morning from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM before leaving in procession to Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden for a committal service at 12:00 PM.