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Alice Elizabeth Collins
Alice Elizabeth Collins - Obituary Birth Alice Elizabeth Shannon was born on October 3, 1932 in Lexington, Missouri to the late Harry Clinton Ford and the late Ethel Magnolia (Major) Shannon, Sr. Her father passed away when she was a baby and her mother later married Lee Roy Gilmore who helped to raise her. About Her Life Alice was a happy, kind, and well-loved child that enjoyed learning. She made friends easily and she was liked by everyone who met her. She grew up in Lexington, Missouri along with her two older siblings, the late Harry Clinton Ford Shannon, Jr. and the late Addie Lillis (Shannon) Johnson; and her two younger siblings, the late Leroy Emerson Gilmore and the late Alfreda (Gilmore) Crumble. She earned a scholarship to nursing school but decided to stay at home and help her mother instead. Alice worked as a housekeeper, cook, and food service worker more than 25 years. She became a mechanic in the repair shop at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota for several years and ended her career as a civil service employee working in the NICU receiving patients and answering calls. She received several service honors for service excellence and special recognition for saving another mechanics life when she worked in the shops. She met her husband, David U. Collins, in Missouri in 1956 and they married at their home in Lexington, Missouri on January 15, 1957. They divorced after nearly 15 years of marriage." The couple had five children together. Two of which, Bryan Upshur Collins and Deborah Angela Collins preceded their mother in death. She is survived by her oldest son, David Leroy Collins along with his wife Sonia Renee (Olson) Collins and their children Angelique Suzanne (Collins) Gierszewski and David Michael Collins and his wife Angela Nell (Soukup) Collins and their four children: Ethan, Helena, Noah, and Wyatt Collins. She is survived by two daughters. Alicia Elizabeth (Collins) Lee and her husband Floyd Anthony Lee and her stepson Channing Lee; and her oldest daughter Brenda Denese (Collins) Poles and her four children, Lakeisha Elizabeth Grier, BreeAnna Denese Poles, Jonathan William Poles, and KariAnn Ingrid (Poles) Wootan along with her husband, Brian Thomas Wootan, and their two sons, Anthony and Christopher. She was also preceded in death by her oldest daughter's husband John William Poles, II. Final Requests Many of the requests that Alice made during her last hours were not for herself. They were for her loved ones. She said she wanted her children to stop pushing themselves so hard. She asked them to just slow down and take care of themselves because she wants them to "be happy." She spoke to nearly all her loved ones on the day she passed away. For herself, Alice made four final requests: Alice asked to talk to her family that lived up north. She was able to get in touch with her son, David and his family, which she enjoyed immensely. David and his wife were a great support to her. She asked for something to eat and her daughter, Brenda, helped her eat a few spoons of soup. She checked in on her mother regularly each week. She asked her daughters to move her to a hospice center. Her daughter, Alicia, worked for months seeing to her mother's comfort so she would feel supported and cared for in her final months. She asked to see her great grandsons, Anthony and Christopher, again. The children and their parents were the last ones to see her before the Lord lifted her into his care shortly after their visit was over. Died Alice passed away peacefully on Friday, August 9, 2019 at approximately 6:50 pm. She came into this world as a bundle of sweetness which she sprinkled lavishly on everyone she met. She leaves the world and the many people who love her with an overflowing cup of kindness that is rare and hard to forget.October 3, 1932 - August 9, 201910/03/193208/09/2019
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Alice Elizabeth Collins
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