Christel B. Collins

Christel Brigitte Collins, was born on June 4, 1936, in Berlin, Germany where she grew up with her family and eventually attended college. She received a degree in textile design and spent her youth traveling throughout Western Europe, memories she would remember fondly into her later years. During the late 1950's she met her future husband, Christopher P. Collins, at a jazz club they both frequented. They married on April 12, 1960 and moved to Fort Meade, Maryland where, a few years later, their son Patrick was born. Through her life, she enjoyed traveling and followed her husband to his multiple duty stations throughout the United States, Germany, and France. Each stop was an opportunity to learn about the culture and history of the area. Her passion was art, museums, and architecture. She frequently took college classes to expand her knowledge of subjects that she found interesting. Through most of this time, she stayed at home to raise her son and provide a comfortable home life. During the Vietnam War, her husband served two tours of duty and she split time in Boston with her husband's family and in Berlin with her parents. In 1988, her son Patrick married Cindy, and she coordinated the whole German family coming to the United States for the wedding. When Chris passed in 1994, she took pleasure in helping to raise her grandchildren, Christopher, Alexander, and Katherine. This was also a time of personal discovery for her as she embarked on a new career as an associate at Burlington Coat Factory. She worked there for sixteen years. During this time, she also became heavily involved with the Art Department at Prince Georges Community College. There she took painting and sculpting classes and frequently exhibited her work in the college gallery. Her favorite time of year was the annual family beach vacation to Rehoboth Beach Delaware, Ocean City Maryland, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Though she did not enjoy the sights and sounds of the boardwalk, she was a trooper for her grandchildren and always went along. When the grandchildren came, she became Omi, which is the northern German name for Grandma. Omi loved to pick the children up from school and take them painting, exploring at the park, or to Sandy Point State Park, for an afternoon at the beach. Her love of art and exploration has been passed on to the children as all are artists and adventuresome in their own right. Among her favorite places to visit were bookstores like Barnes and Noble, art stores like Michael's, and grocery stores such as Trader Joes and Aldi. She loved Sunday dinners with the family, a good glass of red wine (white would do in a pinch), and her coffee and cake. Her memory will live on in the minds of all who knew her and the legacy she left behind, from her children and grandchildren, to her paintings, which capture the world in a beauty only she could know. My mother was a kind and gentile woman, and to see her pass has been incredibly hard on all of us, but we as her family know that she is happy to be reunited with her husband and more than willing to watch over us everywhere we go.