A wife and mother, a saleswoman, a Republican politician and an early leader in Miami Lakes government. Mary Collins lived all of those roles and left a lasting legacy on the town.
She died May 28 at the age of 93, her family said.
Collins served on the first council after the town incorporated in 2000 and fulfilled three terms. Stories in The Miami Laker reported that she was known as the “Godmother of Miami Lakes.”
The story credited Collins with encouraging formation of some of the dozen volunteer committees that exist today and fostering programming that served elders and youth.
It's not a normal practice to name landmarks for the living but in 2014, the town dedicated the community center at 15151 Montrose Ave. and Miami Lakes Drive to Collins, who by then had retired from public office.
May Collins was born in New York City, attended a Catholic high school in Queens and worked at the Lord & Taylor department store on Fifth Avenue.
She and husband Thomas Walsh had two sons, Brian and Kenneth. After Walsh’s sudden passing she was a young widow and single mother.
Collins worked, managing a folk singer in Greenwich Village and selling Stanley Brushes, her son said.
She married John Collins, a U.S. Marine, and son Sean was born. The family lived in Okinawa, Japan while John served several tours in Vietnam, his son said. He became an officer and was also posted to South Korea.
The family moved to Miami in 1971. John Collins joined the police force in Miami-Dade County, rising to detective. Mary entered politics, registering voters and reaching out to Cubans on behalf of the Republican Party.
In the 1970s, Collins would get a bluegrass band to perform at the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital at Christmas, and rallied friends to distribute donated gifts.
“She did that without fanfare over a few years,” her son said.
Collins also made sure the town’s police officers were well stocked with donuts, and delivered two boxes every week, he said.
She was a member of the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization board. In 1986, she made an unsuccessful run for Congress, losing to incumbent Lawrence Smith.
She won election to the county commission in 1990, her son said.
After news of her death, the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County posted on Instagram that Collins “was widely admired, earned the affection, respect and affection of those fortunate to know her” and was the “most beloved state committeewoman the party has ever known.”
She rubbed shoulders with a lot of people who went on to big things, her son said.
“She was a vice chair of Dade County’s Republican party when Jeb Bush was the chairman,” Sean Collins said.
He remembered traveling all around Miami-Dade and Broward counties when she would campaign for herself or help other candidates in local races and was consulted by candidates at the state and national level, too.
“Anybody who was an elected official would know her,” Collins said. “Even judges’ races, candidates knew her. I met Ronald Reagan a whole bunch of times as a child.”
Mayor Josh Dieguez and Collins they did not serve together on the council, but he said he knew her fairly well and watched her political career.
“I do remember her always being a very pleasant person, passionate about the community, always working to build support for her items,” Dieguez said.
Collins remembered his mother as being very energetic, prepared and knowledgeable about the backup materials before she appeared at council meetings for votes.
After politics, Collins liked fashion, reading and talking with people, he said.
“She was very well read and extremely plugged into all political happenings,” he said. “She would reference novels that she read, lots of books. And she loved “Jeopardy,” with Art Fleming. She wouldn’t miss it.”
Her survivors include sons Brian, Kenneth and his wife Adriana and Sean and his wife Claire; nine grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, and a sister, Jeannie.
A funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Parish on June 10 at 11 a.m., 15801 NW 67th Ave. in Miami Lakes. Following the service, the family welcomes those who knew and loved Collins to celebrate her life at the Mary Collins Community Center, 15151 NW 82nd Ave. in Miami Lakes at 1 p.m.