BERNE – Alice Jean Collins took care of people — of the patients she nursed, the family she cared for, and the children she taught.

“She was very independent,” said her son, Michael Collins. She was also very religious. “She loved the Lord and put her faith in Jesus,” her son said.

Mrs. Collins died peacefully on Sunday, July 22, 2018, at the Community Hospice Inn at St. Peter’s Hospital. She was 80.

She was born on Aug. 24, 1937 in Odessa, New York to the late Lester and Anna Woodford Fowler. The Fowlers had a small farm and her father ran the farm and also took care of machinery at a nearby lumberyard while her mother was a homemaker, Michael Collins said.

The young Mrs. Collins did well in school and was an accomplished clarinetist, playing locally in a group, her son said. After graduating from Odessa High School, she attended Binghamton City School for Nursing.

She worked as a nurse at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse and then moved to Albany shortly after marrying Leslie G. Collins. The couple met in church, their son said, and liked to tell the story of how one time they were in a terrible snowstorm. “She followed him wherever he went and they ended up together,” their son said.

In Albany, Mrs. Collins worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. “She loved being a nurse,” said her son. “She loved taking care of people. That’s what she did most of her life — took care of people.”

Mrs. Collins became a homemaker when their son was born. “She always spent time with me,” said Michael Collins. “She put things to the side to take care of me.”

Mrs. Collins became a preschool teacher at Stepping Stones Preschool, where she worked for 16 years. “She loved Beatrix Potter,” said her son, referring to the Englishwoman who wrote and illustrated books about animals like Peter Rabbit.

As a teenager, her son would sometimes get annoyed, he said, when so many people would approach Mrs. Collins to tell her how much her teaching had meant to them.

“She had a huge impact on the children in the area,” said Michael Collins, noting that some of her former students had recently visited her in the hospital.

Mrs. Collins was very active in the First Baptist Church of Westerlo where she was a member for nearly half a century. She was involved in the Sunday school, the choir, Vacation Bible School, and the youth programs.

Mrs. Collins enjoyed both gardening and baking and would combine the two when she used herbs she had raised in her cooking. She raised both flowers and herbs, Michael Collins said. “Her and my dad made a big vegetable garden and put all the pieces together,” he said. “They loved their squash.”

He also said, “She could name any plant in the garden. I would always forget the names.” But, he said, “I learned thousands of things from her.”

He went on to describe his mother as “very outgoing, very personable, very forthright.” He said, “She had a love for everyone and was unafraid to tell you how she felt.”

Her family wrote in a tribute, “Jean enjoyed taking care of her family and the people who she met that became her family.”

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Alice Jean Collins is survived by her beloved husband, Leslie G. Collins; her son, Michael Collins, and his wife, Kimberly; her grandchildren, Savannah, Jackson, and Asa Collins; and her numerous cousins.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Westerlo, 618 State Route 143, Westerlo, NY 12193, followed by a funeral service at 6 p.m. Burial will be in the South Berne Rural Cemetery on Thursday, Aug. 2, at 10:30 a.m. Mourners may leave condolences online at ajcunninghamfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Westerlo, Post Office Box 130, Westerlo, NY 12193.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer