William Elgert Collins, entered the world on December 29, 1948 in Acres Homes Houston, Texas to proud parents, Arnold and Eva Mae Collins and older brother, Arnold (Dickie).

He arrived ready to shake up the world!  His mother taught him to read at age four years old and registered him for first grade at age five. They didn't check birth certificates during that time and he certainly looked six, so no one questioned his age.

Bill accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at Galilee Missionary Baptist in Houston, Texas. He was a man of tremendous faith and love for the Lord.

He was smart and inquisitive with his mother saying many times 'Billy, don't ask so many questions!' Not only was he smart and inquisitive, he had the drive to work hard even at a young age. He held his first job at age four delivering newspapers door to door for a quarter each. He also shared the story of how he purchased his first BB gun on his own my making pin cushions. The story goes that his art teacher showed the class how to make pin cushions. When his dad told him he couldn't buy him a BB gun, he had the really bright idea to make those pin cushions and go door to door to sell them. He wanted that BB gun and earned enough money to purchase it on his own! It was dear to him and that same BB gun sits on his closet shelf today.

After finishing in the top three of his class at G.W. Carver High School in 1966, he decided to continue his love of football at the collegiate level. Even though he had a full scholarship to local universities, he decided he wanted to go to the University of Colorado, sight unseen.  He left for Colorado in 1966 at age seventeen as a walk on to the football program.  As Bill shared many times, his dad had enough money for one semester and he was expected to earn the rest on his own, get a scholarship or come back home. Well, he did just that and was the only walk on to be offered a full scholarship after the first semester.

He was successful on and off the field and was selected as the first African American captain for the Colorado Buff's football team. If you want to learn more about his historic experiences during that time, you can research 1969 Liberty Bowl: Colorado's Landmark Win. He loved sharing that story as well as many others.

After graduating in 1970 from the University of Colorado, Bill began working for Xerox Corporation in Houston as a sales representative. His success later brought him to Fort Worth where he became the first African American Branch Manager in the Southern Region. His successful career at Xerox moved his family to Illinois in 1991, Michigan in 1994 and back to Texas in 1997. He later became District Manager and General Manager and continued to excel throughout his career at Xerox.

No matter where his career took him, finding a church home for his family was always a top priority. His move to Fort Worth led him to unite with Mount Olive Baptist Church where he served as an Usher and Deacon for twelve years. During the move to Illinois and Michigan, he led his family to Progressive Church Baptist in Aurora, Illinois where he served as Chairman of the Deacon Board and later united with Word of Faith in Southfield, Michigan. Upon returning to the DFW area in 1997 and after much prayer for guidance, he led his family to Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship where he served as Usher, Deacon and Lay Elder.

After retiring from Xerox in 2006,  a second career began as Vice President with The Urban Alternative. During his tenure, he helped to implement the National Church Adopt a School Initiative (NCAASI) where he traveled throughout the USA training churches to adopt schools. He also helped to implement the Oak Cliff Christian Federal Credit Union and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors.  He served faithfully, even as his health declined, until the Lord called him home.

Bill loved his family! He loved having conversations with his children and especially his grandchildren! He would remember every birthday and he prayed daily for all of his family by name.
He loved road trips and the countryside. His favorite place was Colorado and the mountains. It was important to him that his children and grandchildren experienced what he saw when he first arrived in Colorado in 1971. He was a great storyteller! He appeared to be an expert on every subject and always had a story inside a story. He will be remembered for his storytelling and his infectious laugh!

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Eva Mae Collins and his only sibling, Arnold (Dickie) Collins.

He leaves to cherish his memories and his wonderful stories:
Wife of forty five years: Esther, who he affectionately called Esther D.,
Children: Tammy Franklin (Kirk), Da'Vidra West, Tamara Collins, Dawn Wilburn, Kimberly Tripp (Derrick), William 'Bill' Collins, III (Novelette),
Celeste Howell (Keith)
Grandchildren: Kerrion, Carrington(Maxx), Caziah(Alena), Kennedy, Micah, Brandon, Andrew, Imani, Derrick II, Kelise, Gideon-Michael, William III, Caleb, Stephen-Gabriel, Evadney, John-Alan
Dylan, Kendyl, Kason, Kenzlie, Keith III
Greatgrands: Shiloh and Levi Noelle
Nephews and Niece:  Tre, Myles, Mariah
Very special Father in law: Elder Samuel W. Taylor

We are honored to have known Bill Collins and we celebrate a life well lived!