Braxton Waller Collins died at his home in West Columbia on February 14, 2016. He was born on April 23, 1930, in Marion, South Carolina, to the late Walker Heyward and Nathalie Pace Collins. He graduated from Bennettsville High School in 1947 and entered the Citadel where he was commander of Company P, was a member of the Summerall Guards, and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Chemistry. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and commanded an armored tank company in the Korean War. He obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1957. He was employed in various management positions for 26 years at the DuPont Mylar Plant in Florence. He coached Dixie Youth baseball and YMCA basketball. After retirement from DuPont, he served for 22 years on the Florence County Disabilities and Special Needs Board and was Chairman from 1998 until 2003. The Braxton W. Collins Center was named in his honor in 2008. He was a life member of Marlboro Masonic Lodge 88 and the Florence Sertoma Club where he served two terms as President and one as District Governor. He was a charter member of John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Florence where he was an elder, treasurer, and Sunday school teacher. Recently, he was a member of Mount Hebron United Methodist Church in West Columbia where he was a member of Hands for God Sunday School class. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Dot Craig Collins; four children, Craig (Janyce) Collins of Columbia, Kim (Jim) Thomas of Rock Hill, Scott (Donna) Collins of Florence, and Lauren (Sid) Staudt of West Columbia; twelve grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a sister, Janelle (Don) Warthen of West Columbia; and a brother, Woody (Tricia) Collins of Bennettsville. He was predeceased by a great-grandson, Edward Graham “Gray” Sanders III. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on February 18, 2016, at Mount Hebron United Methodist Church with visitation following in the Fellowship Hall. A private burial will be held at the Florence National Cemetery and friends will be received at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Florence at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Florence County Disabilities Foundation (P.O. Box 12637, Florence, SC 29504) or Mount Hebron UMC (Mission Possible Ministry, 3050 Leaphart Road, West Columbia, SC 29169). – See more at:
Posted in: The State
Posted on: 2016-02-16
Link to original obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=braxton-waller-collins&pid=177731091#sthash.JCoP8nqB.dpuf