Thomas W “Tom” Collins

Thomas W. “Tom” Collins, 85, of State College, passed away peacefully at home with his wife, son, and daughter by his side on Friday, March 26, 2021. Born on October 1, 1935, in Titusville, to the late William T. and Anita M. (Lewis) Collins. On May 28, 1955 in Lewistown, he married the love of his life, Ramone S. “Mona” Stewart.

Tom graduated from Belleville High School in 1954. After graduation, he enlisted with the US Navy, earning the rank of FTA1, which is a Fire Control Technician (Automatic Directors) Petty Officer 1st Class prior to his honorable discharge in 1962. While enlisted, he traveled the world aboard the USS Laffey. Following his discharge from the Navy, he attended Penn State University, where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. He began his career at HRB Singer before his employment with Penn State, where he retired as the Director of Electronic Design Services in 1993.

Tom was a born Electrical Engineer with a positive attitude and a strong wanderlust. After earning his degree, he started his worldwide journey in pursuit of putting his passion for his work to good use… and what a journey it was. From installing antennas in the permafrost in Alaska, to shooting rockets off in Africa and around the world, he got to experience so many new places and charted an enviable list of achievements and passport stamps. He was a frequent visitor to the Wallops Island NASA rocket base and Arecibo Radio Astronomy Telescope in Puerto Rico. He once hopped on a German Research ship in Scandinavia on its way to the Antarctic (literally on the other side of the world). He once spent 6 weeks in Sri Lanka helping a local university set up an Engineering Department like his at Penn State. He held patents in fuel carburetion optimization which had a variety of uses from cars to steel blast furnaces. Ask any of his kids, grandkids, or great grandkids and they will tell you “Pap’s go button” was always pushed and many of them were lucky enough to inherit the “wanderlust” gene from him. Always a sailor, upon retirement from Penn State, he sold the “local” boats he kept at Bald Eagle State Park and bought a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay for all to enjoy. There were many sailing adventures with family and he particularly liked to dock in “Ego Ally” at Annapolis and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. To say he loved to travel would be an understatement. As one of his colleagues said at his retirement from Penn State, “we all assumed that T.W. Collins actually stood for ‘Travel With Collins’.” He loved his wife and family more that anything. Pap will truly be missed!

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Thomas J. Collins (Diane) of State College and his daughter, Marta J. Borsh (Ron) of Dunedin, FL; six grandchildren, Graham (Veronica), Thomas (Michelle), Kyle (Chelsea), Tamara (Adam), Elizabeth (Jess), and Phillip; and eight great grandchildren, Madeleine, Olive, Ruby, Clementine, Piper, Wells, Ignatius, and Maggie.

There will be no services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to 365 Hospice, 220 Regent Court, Suite E2, State College, PA 16801.

The family would like to thank 365 Hospice for the kindness they have shown and the great care given to Tom.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc 228 S. Pennsylvania Ave., PO Box 579, Centre Hall, PA 16828. An online guest book can be signed or condolences to the family available at www.daughenbaughfuneralhome.com.