Obituaries

Patricia Ann (Smart) Collins, 83

Hafner
SUNAPEE — Patricia Ann (Smart) Collins passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on Jan. 5, 2020 at the age of 83.

Pat was born on Nov. 3, 1936 in Newport, N.H., to the late Edwin and Irma (Parker) Smart.

After graduating from Sunapee High School in 1955 she worked one year for New England Telephone Company in Concord, N.H., as a long distance operator. On June 9, 1956 Pat married her high school sweetheart Carlton Collins and the two shared 63 wonderful years together in Sunapee, happily raising their four daughters while enjoying classic cars, 50’s music and rooting for the Red Sox.

If you ever visited New London Hospital between 1970 and 2015 you were probably greeted by Pat’s warm, friendly smile, as she ran the switchboard and communications department for more than 45 years, a career she enjoyed and excelled at until she retired at the age of 79.

She also loved reading, day trips to the ocean, frequenting her favorite restaurants, and traveling. Some of her favorite trips were to California, Florida, Colorado, Las Vegas, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Aruba, U.S .Virgin Islands, Colombia South America, Panama and the Panama Canal, all with her husband and some with her daughters as well. But by far her greatest joy in life was her family. She loved being a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and her family was blessed every day by her unconditional love and support.

Surviving family members include her husband, Carlton, her daughters, Lori Preston and husband John of Sunapee, Tracey Gonyea and husband Rodney of Bonita Springs, Fla., Leslie Collins and husband Rusty Lavin of Hampton, N.H., and Wendy Trubia and husband Robert of Windsor, Colo.; brother Mike Smart of Unity, N.H., her grandchildren; Sarah Preston, Bradley Preston (and wife Tasha), Chris Gonyea (and wife Katie), Justin Gonyea, Daniel Gonyea, Erich Dietel (and wife Jessie), Taylor Trubia, Abigail Kramer (and husband Tanner), Benjamin Trubia, and Emma Trubia as well as five great-grandchildren and another on the way.

A private family graveside service will take place June 9, 2020, on what would have been their 64th anniversary, at Eastman Cemetery in Sunapee. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, P.O. Box 2209, New London, N.H. 03257. 

To sign an online guestbook please visit www.chadwickfuneralservice.com

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