Penny Ann (Wilson) Collins

Our Lucky Penny went home to be with the Lord on the evening of October 17th, 2023. A beloved wife, grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, genealogist, paramedic, and quilter. Penny lived a life full of experiences with a profound faith that she cherished. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 21, 2023 at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors in Whitney, Texas. Visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00 p.m., prior to service. Burial to follow at Whitney Memorial Park.

Penny was born in Hill County, Texas to Roy Vernon and Colvia (Strange) Wilson. A few years later they welcomed a son, Vernon Lynn. After a childhood of running around the family farm, Penny moved up to the Metroplex where she began a career as a paramedic for Medstar. Penny was a part of the Texas 1 Disaster Medical Assistant Team (DMAT) which traveled across the country for special search and rescue missions including Ground Zero and Hurricane Katrina. She was also a founding member of the Medstar HEART technical rescue team. She was our glimmering Penny in the midst of darkness.

After retiring from the emergency medical field in 2004, she met her husband Rick Collins and they soon fell in love. They were married in January 2006 and traveled the country as an RV Escapee as Rick’s work led them to many travels. Penny loved the chance to explore all the beauty our country has to offer. It was during these travels that Penny rediscovered her love of quilting instilled in her by her grandmother. Penny crafted quilts for every new child born into the family, and donated countless to various women and children’s shelters and to Quilts of Valor. 

She also had a knack for genealogy serving as the registrar for the Fort Graham Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Joseph L. Bennett Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Penny understood that history has valuable lessons to teach us all and committed herself to its preservation. She traced her own family history back to Scotland and Rick’s to Ireland. 

She is survived by her husband Rick Collins, children Michelle Paris (Michael), Justin Floyd, Jan Collins, Sara Wilson, and Ricky Collins Jr.(Sarah), grand children Matthew and Mariah Paris, Charlie Floyd, Aaron, Kyle, and Jillian See, and Josie and Cooper Collins, as well as many, many cousins, nieces, and nephews. 

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