Eleanor Lou Collins

Eleanor Lou Collins December 31, 1935 - July 12, 2010 Eleanor Lou Collins of Waco passed away Monday, July 12, 2010, after a long illness. Services will be 2 p.m., Friday, July 16, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Burial will follow at Ridgepark Cemetery in Hillsboro, Texas. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, July 15, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Garden Room. Lou was born in Hillsboro to Harvey and Lottie Mackey. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, she taught junior high in Waco before retiring to raise her family. In 1958 she married Tom H. Collins, Jr., her husband of 52 years. They had two children, Charlotte and Carolyn. Lou was a devoted and loving wife, mother, and daughter, and a friend to many. Lou was deeply committed to the Waco community and was an enthusiastic volunteer for many years. A Waco resident for over 50 years, Lou was a long-time member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. She was devoted to the cause of historic preservation and was a life member of the Historic Waco Foundation Board of Directors, where she served as Treasurer and Tickets Chair of Christmas on the Brazos, Chair of the Brazos River Festival, Chair of East Terrace, and chair of numerous other committees. She served as president and held numerous other positions with the Brazos Forum, was treasurer for several years of the Waco Cotton Palace Pageant, Inc., and also served as chair of many Cotton Palace committees. Lou served as President and Treasurer of the Waco Symphony Women's Council and chaired many committees for the horse shows sponsored by the Council. She was active in the Waco Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae group and received the National Alumnae Certificate of Merit in recognition of outstanding service. She was proud to be part of the founding committee to establish the Baylor University Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha and was on the Founding Committee for the Zeta Antique Show. She was also on the Founding Committee for Waco Alumnae Panhellenic and served as the Zeta delegate. Lou was very involved in her daughters' schools and activities. She never missed an opportunity to be a homeroom mother or a Camp Fire Girl troop leader, or to run a speech tournament at Richfield High School. Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Lottie Mackey. She is survived by her husband, Tom H. Collins, Jr., of Waco; her daughter, Charlotte Collins Tilotta of Columbus, Texas, and Charlotte's close friend, Sylvester Bedford; her daughter, Carolyn Collins Ostrom and husband, Eric, of Austin; grandchildren, Annika and Thomas Ostrom; brother-in-law, Ben Burney Collins; and niece and nephew, Emily and Benjamin Collins. The family is deeply grateful to Lillie Demar for her loving care of Lou over many years. Pallbearers are Leo Bradshaw, Larry Jaynes, Mike Reitmeier, Ben Collins, Sylvester Bedford, and Eric Ostrom. Honorary Pallbearers are Floyd Jensen, Harris Allen, Francis Gillette, and Cleveland Witt. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Eleanor Lou Collins Fund for Historic Preservation at the Waco Foundation, 900 Austin Ave., 9th Floor, Waco, Texas 76701, or to the charity of choice. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com.