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The services celebrating and honoring the life of Donald W. Collins, 91, of Enid, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 3, 2022, in the Enid Westminster Presbyterian Church. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.
Donald was born September 3, 1931, on a farm near Douglas, OK, to Pearl and Willa Collins and passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022.
Donald attended Enid Public Schools, graduating in 1949. He earned a degree in accounting from Oklahoma A&M, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. In September of 1952, Donald married his high school sweetheart, Vivian Miller, and together they received their bachelor's degrees from the School of Business in 1953. Following graduation and a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, he completed a year of graduate work in Accounting and Business Law at OU.
In his notes to his children on how to write his obit, he playfully described his children as follows: "strong-willed" Jo Lynn, born in 1955; "cute little" Jan, born in 1957; and "pyloric stenosis" Scott, born in 1961. During this time, he worked for George E. Failing Co. in Enid, he passed his CPA Exam, worked with Wright and Sawyer, Attorneys and CPAs, and taught Accounting and Business Math courses at Phillips University.
In 1962, he opened his own accounting firm. He eventually merged with Ron Butler, forming Collins & Butler CPAs, where he worked until their retirement in 1999. His professional associations included Oklahoma Society of CPA's Board of Directors, President of Enid Chapter of Oklahoma Society of CPA's, Board of Directors Community Speech & Hearing of Enid, YMCA, Rotary Club, and Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce.
Although very civically minded, Donald's church involvement was his highest priority. He was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church of Enid, serving several terms as Deacon, Elder, and Trustee. He also served as Treasurer of Cimarron Presbytery and was a delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA. He and Vivian became charter members of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Enid.
Donald and Vivian spent much time together square dancing, Big Band Dance Club, playing bridge, skiing and running with friends and family, biking in Europe, and playing tennis. One of their adventures included a flight on the British Airways Concorde from London to New York City. In later years, they spent most of their winters in the warm climate of Arizona where they learned to love Pickle Ball.
Donald mourned the loss of his wife of 65 years and yet continued to live an adventurous life. At 88, a long road trip with his 89-year-old friend, Lloyd Peck, to visit his daughter and son-in-law in Albuquerque went surprisingly well. At 89, a Montana ski trip with three generations of male descendants (10 in all) was a highlight for him and everyone involved. And finally, at his 90th Birthday Party, which was a family Pickle Ball tournament, Donald and his son Scott defeated everyone, including two athletic competitive grandsons in the finals. Everyone else in the facility stopped to watch Donald and Scott school the grandkids.
Bamps, as he was affectionately known by his family, was our moral compass. A man of integrity and unwavering ethics, humble, and the same man at home as in public.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Jo Lynn and Mike Stroup of Albuquerque, NM, Jan and Mike Peck of Enid, OK, and Scott and Diana Collins of Naples, FL. He was able to experience all of his eight grandchildren's weddings: Tyler and Darin Kent, Stuart and Catherine Lisle, Maddie and Blake Kerr, Leslie and Riley Nelson, Collins and Rachel Peck, Trey and Shannon Peck, Nathan and Kate Collins, and Lauren and Parker Graham. He was also able to enjoy the birth of his fourteen great-grandchildren. Donald is also survived by his brother John Collins of Tulsa, two nieces and a nephew.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Vivian Collins.
Memorials may be made in his honor to Westminster Presbyterian Church of Enid, Denny Price YMCA, or Hospice Circle of Love, with Brown-Cummings Funeral Home serving as custodian of the funds. Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at www.Brown-Cummings.com.
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