Susan Collins
Susan K (Jones) Collins was born December 21, 1944 in Shelbyville, Indiana to Edward N and Martha G Jones. Their family moved around often with Ed’s job with Indiana Bell, finally settling in Noblesville, Indiana, where Susan graduated from Noblesville High School in 1962. Susan graduated from Purdue University in 1966 with a Bachelor’s in education.
After a brief teaching career in Indianapolis, Susan and her sister Peggy moved to Connecticut to seek new adventures. While there, Susan worked for the Aetna Corporation as a computer engineer in the early years of punch card computer programming on mainframe systems. She continued that path by taking a job with Honeywell that brought her to Michigan.
When Susan moved to Marshall from Connecticut in 1973, she told herself she would stay only for one year because it was no place for a single woman. Since she was familiar with Marshall from childhood stops for lunch at Win Schuler’s and walks around town on annual family pilgrimages to Gun Lake further north, she chose to make it her home–at least for a while.
But before that year was up, she met John Collins, whom she would eventually marry in 1977. They were married for 27 years until John’s death in 2004.
Susan and John made a good team as they strove to promote Marshall, both in town and across the country. They traveled extensively, domestically and abroad, and Susan continued to make annual trips to New Zealand by herself as she and John had done to the UK and Ireland for most of their years together.
Apart from what John did in public relations to bring attention to Marshall and make it a place people wanted to live, Susan, along with the help of others, did three major things to help put Marshall on the map: she drove the successful effort to make Marshall a National Historic Landmark district in 1991, created the once annual Marshall Scarecrow Festival starting in 2000 (that many residents still informally honor to this day), and was involved with the American Museum of Magic.
Beyond those accomplishments, Susan spent many years on various committees within the city’s institutions–Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Franke Center, and others. Her passion and dedication to the long-term flourishment of the city of Marshall through youth involvement were so evident to all who knew her. The legacy of that spirit will live on for years to come in the hearts and minds of many.
Susan is survived by her sister Peggy (Jones) Wright and nephew Robert Everetts both of Indiana, and many other honorary nieces and nephews in Marshall and far beyond. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband John. There will be a private burial ceremony for family, and a celebration of life will take place for extended family and friends at a later date after the COVID pandemic has eased.
Gifts in lieu of flowers can be made to the Fountain Clinic, the Franke Center for the Arts, or the John and Susan Collins Historic Preservation Scholarship Fund, held and administered by the Marshall Community Foundation.
Arrangements were entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 723 US Hwy 27 N in Marshall. Please visit https://www.kempffuneralhome.com to view the online obituary, sign the guest book or leave messages for the family.
After a brief teaching career in Indianapolis, Susan and her sister Peggy moved to Connecticut to seek new adventures. While there, Susan worked for the Aetna Corporation as a computer engineer in the early years of punch card computer programming on mainframe systems. She continued that path by taking a job with Honeywell that brought her to Michigan.
When Susan moved to Marshall from Connecticut in 1973, she told herself she would stay only for one year because it was no place for a single woman. Since she was familiar with Marshall from childhood stops for lunch at Win Schuler’s and walks around town on annual family pilgrimages to Gun Lake further north, she chose to make it her home–at least for a while.
But before that year was up, she met John Collins, whom she would eventually marry in 1977. They were married for 27 years until John’s death in 2004.
Susan and John made a good team as they strove to promote Marshall, both in town and across the country. They traveled extensively, domestically and abroad, and Susan continued to make annual trips to New Zealand by herself as she and John had done to the UK and Ireland for most of their years together.
Apart from what John did in public relations to bring attention to Marshall and make it a place people wanted to live, Susan, along with the help of others, did three major things to help put Marshall on the map: she drove the successful effort to make Marshall a National Historic Landmark district in 1991, created the once annual Marshall Scarecrow Festival starting in 2000 (that many residents still informally honor to this day), and was involved with the American Museum of Magic.
Beyond those accomplishments, Susan spent many years on various committees within the city’s institutions–Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Franke Center, and others. Her passion and dedication to the long-term flourishment of the city of Marshall through youth involvement were so evident to all who knew her. The legacy of that spirit will live on for years to come in the hearts and minds of many.
Susan is survived by her sister Peggy (Jones) Wright and nephew Robert Everetts both of Indiana, and many other honorary nieces and nephews in Marshall and far beyond. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband John. There will be a private burial ceremony for family, and a celebration of life will take place for extended family and friends at a later date after the COVID pandemic has eased.
Gifts in lieu of flowers can be made to the Fountain Clinic, the Franke Center for the Arts, or the John and Susan Collins Historic Preservation Scholarship Fund, held and administered by the Marshall Community Foundation.
Arrangements were entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 723 US Hwy 27 N in Marshall. Please visit https://www.kempffuneralhome.com to view the online obituary, sign the guest book or leave messages for the family.
