Elizabeth Anne (Truesdale) Collins

Elizabeth “Betty” Collins passed away peacefully Sunday, July 14, 2019 at the Hope Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Providence after a short illness, with her son Wayne and daughter Pam at her side. Elizabeth was born at home March 24, 1932 in Seekonk, Massachusetts, the daughter of John E. Truesdale and Dorothy (Riddell) Truesdale. She was united in marriage to H. Nelson Collins on September 3, 1955 in Cranston, Rhode Island. He preceded her in death September 10, 2013.

Elizabeth was a 1950 graduate of Cranston High School, and a 1953 graduate of Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. She worked in nursing as a surgical nurse, I.V. nurse, pediatrics, phlebotomy, private duty, and industrial nurse, finally retiring from active nursing in 1978.

Elizabeth had an unwavering faith in God. She was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Pawtucket RI for over 60 years. Over that period time, she was a vestry member, a member of the church’s “Tu-Som” couples’ club, and organized numerous fundraising events.

Elizabeth was an active community supporter.  She was a member of the Memorial Hospital Nurses Alumni Association; member, and then National Vice-President, of the US Coast Guard Academy Parents Association; a certified Water Aerobics Instructor at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket; a member of the Pawtucket Lions Club; participant in the Rehoboth MA Antiquarian Society; and taught arts & crafts to children each month at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Pawtucket and in locally arranged craft classes.

Nature and arts & crafts were her passion.  In 1983 she founded her own business, Handcrafts and Sweet-tooth Confections.  Her products began with specialty chocolates and wedding florals, eventually concentrating on decoupage plates and dishes sold in specialty shops in RI and MA.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: son Captain Wayne N. Collins, U.S. Coast Guard (ret); daughter Pamela J. (Collins) Hall; daughter-in-law Melissa Collins; son-in-law Peter Hall; her sister Jean (Truesdale) Magnuson; grandchildren Lauren (Hall) MacLean, Emily (Hall) Sears, Christine (Collins) Hutsell, John Collins; and great-grandchildren Jackson MacLean, Logan MacLean, and Finley Elizabeth Sears.

Calling hours will be held Friday, July 19 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Manning-Heffern Funeral Home, 68 Broad Street, Pawtucket, RI.  Elizabeth desired not to have a formal funeral service.  Instead, family and friends are invited to gather in the chapel at Swan Point Cemetery on Blackstone BLVD in Providence, RI Saturday July 20, at 9:30 AM, for a short remembrance.  Information regarding a collation will be provided at the chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hope Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904. The family gives them and everyone else who cared for Elizabeth their greatest gratitude.