Paul Andrew (Andy) Collins was born on November 15, 1947 in Clinton, Missouri, to James and Ethel Collins. He was raised in Deepwater, Missouri and always called it home. He married Sue McKeaigg on July 3, 1965. He went to work for General Motors, Leeds right out of high school. His General Motors career took him to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Wichita Falls, Texas, and finally back to the Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kansas where he retired after 30 years.

He and Sue made their home in Independence, Missouri and raised two children there. Matt Collins (Lisa) and Deanna Allison (Eric) both of Blue Springs, Missouri.

Andy was a gentle, loving soul, from his love of poetry to his passion for opera, especially Pavarotti. A special mentor once told him "Don't try to make people think you're better than you are, always be better than people think you are" he lived by that.

His special delight was in his granddaughters, Kaitlin and Lauren. He loved remembering the special times with each of them. Another of his special times was his weekly trips to Deepwater, where he could visit with friends and enjoy the peace and quiet of the town he loved. Adding to his joys were his monthly get-togethers with his General Motors pals. He would come home and say "I had a great time."

He was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. Throughout the devastating toll that it took on his body he never gave up his sense of humor, never complaining, even when he was in pain. He gave his family the strength to battle the disease with him.

He leaves behind to mourn his passing his wife, Sue, children Matt and Deanna, their spouses Lisa and Eric, granddaughters Kaitlin Allison and Lauren Collins, 3 brothers; Carl Collins of Creighton, Missouri, James Collins of Clinton, Missouri, and Philip Collins of Independence, Missouri and 4 sisters; Jo Ann Cloud of Pharr, Texas, Donna McCurdy and Patty Collins both of Clinton, Missouri, and Hazel Collins of Independence, Missouri.

One of Andy's favorite poems was this one by Robert Browning Hamilton.

I walked a mile with pleasure
She chatted all the way:
but left me none the wiser
for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with sorrow,
and ne'er a word said she
but oh! The things I learned from her
when sorrow walked with me.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 P.M. Friday, November 28, 2014 at the Vansant-Mills Chapel, Clinton, Missouri. Interment will follow in Deepwater Cemetery, Deepwater, Missouri. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Memorials are suggested to the Midwest ALS Association and may be left in care of the funeral home. Fond memories and condolences can be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton, Missouri.