Obituary of Ralph A. Collins

Ralph A. Collins, age 66 of Dundee, passed away at 4:20 PM, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 at Glacier Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center in Ann Arbor following a long illness. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, December 17, 1946 the son of Ralph H. and Frances H. (Akers) Collins. Ralph was a graduate of Dundee High School in 1965 and served on the Dundee Volunteer Fire Department for 13 years. He was a University of Michigan sports fan, also loved hunting, fishing and spending time at Tawas. He retired from the Ford Motor Co. Ypsilanti Plant in 1996 where he was a set-up man. He made his home in Dundee with his companion and friend Carol Schwisow who passed away in 2007. He is survived by a son Chett Collins of Chesapeake, Ohio, and Carol’s children who were like his own children and were his friends: Donna (Dwight) Steiner , Kay Schrader (the late Chuck), David (Deb) Schwisow and Larry (Daphne) Schwisow, all of Dundee and his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carol and sisters Nancy Yench and Pauline Staubaugh. Friends may call on Thursday from 3 – 8 PM at the Cover Funeral Home, 297 Tecumseh Street in Dundee (734-529-3156). Funeral services will be held at the funeral home Friday, December 6, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. Officiating will be Rev. Douglas Olsen, pastor of the Dundee United Methodist Church . Cremation will follow the services with interment later at Maple Grove Cemetery in Dundee. Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to the Dundee Fireman’s Association. A funeral memorial luncheon will be held in his memory following the funeral services Friday at the Dundee Veterans Memorial Building at Dunham and McBride Streets in Dundee. Online condolences may be made at www.coverfuneralhome.com