John was born on August 28, 1929, in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended East High School and from there he went to serve as a proud Sargent in the United States Marine Corps (The Frozen Chosen) from 1948 to 1952. He served two years in Korea.
He was with the Metro Fire Department in Nashville, Tennessee from 1952 to 1989. He served as Metro Deputy Fire Marshal and was chosen to serve as the President of the Tennessee Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigation.
After he retired from the Metro Fire Department, John worked 11 years before retiring from the Veteran’s Hospital. He also enjoyed being a Tour Escort for 7 years.
John was saved as a teenager at a Presbyterian Church in east Nashville.
John also served as a Deacon at Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. In 1991 he and Lattie built a house on the lake, moved to Hendersonville and joined First Baptist Church Hendersonville.
John is preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Lattie Stinson Collins of Macon County, Georgia. He is also preceded by Marlene Byrd Collins of Hendersonville, Tennessee; his parents, John Ervin Collins and Katy E. Alan Collins; two sisters, Jean Smith (Sam) of Florida and Evelyn Nell Baker (Al) of Texas.
A visitation will be held at Hendersonville First Baptist Church on Monday, July 28, 2025, from 1:00pm until the hour of service. The service will begin at 3:00pm in the chapel of First Baptist Church with Brother Bruce Chesser officiating.
This obituary was published by Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Funeral Home & Cremation Center.
This obituary was published by Obituaries provided free for the community.
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