Dwight Eugene Collins, 78, passed away on August 5, 2022, following complications related to a fall. He grew up in Adams Corner, IL, attending school in Allendale, IL. After graduating from Illinois College in 1967, he worked in psychology and sociology and lived in Columbia, MO; Neenah, WI; Marshfield, WI; and Mosinee, WI. His final days were spent at Acorn Hill Senior Living Community in Mosinee, WI.

After moving to Wisconsin, Dwight became a stay-at-home dad for many years, doing science experiments, visiting underground caves, and hosting creative birthday parties with his children. He worked several years at the RadioShack in Marshfield, where he had a reputation for being the guy who knew how to answer people's questions. Later in life, he worked as a substitute teacher in Wausau and other school districts in central Wisconsin, where he was known as "Mr. Collins" and sought out by students for help with math problems.

A lifetime student and boy scout, Dwight passed on his love of waterfalls, hiking, national parks, mathematics, and learning to his four children. He met his wife Lois while engaging in his hobbies of square and ballroom dancing. During their 9 years of marriage, they hosted many foster children, ultimately adopting an infant placed in their care.

Dwight's three sisters remember him as one who took them hiking, camping, ice skating, and stargazing. He told funny jokes, played long games of Monopoly with them, and set off fireworks at grandma's house. He was a natural teacher at an early age, making his sisters do book reports on the books they got for Christmas and teaching them how to change a tire before they got their drivers' license. He had a great memory and a lot of knowledge, but he was a terrible speller.

Dwight is survived by his children, Sarah (Collins) Williamson and her husband Dave, Christine (Collins) Papai and her husband Sam, Tim Collins and his partner Stacey Johnson, and Jacque Collins; his grandchildren, Aubrey and Katy Williamson, and Oliver and Evelyn Papai; Sarah's mother Becky Pierce, and Christine and Tim's mother Debby Wilson; and his sisters, Rhonda Swaringen, Helen Smith, and Carolyn Collins.

He was preceded in death by his parents Carroll and Lois Joy (Buchanan) Collins, and his wife and mother of Jacque, Lois Marie (Hughes) Biechler.

Dwight's family would like to thank the community of friends, neighbors, staff, and other resources who helped him enjoy his last years of life. Specifically, these people and organizations were answers to prayer: Donna Connick and Paula Sachse, the staff and volunteers at Acorn Hill Senior Living Community, Meals on Wheels and ADRC of Central Wisconsin, and the Alzheimer's Association.