Raymond St. Claire Collins' Obituary
Raymond Collins was born on the island of St. Kitts, British West Indies on June 11, 1937 to the union of Robert and Adina Collins. He was the youngest of 10 children. He and his nine siblings grew up in the lush mountainside of St. Peters Parish. There he met the love of his life, Crecita Irma Thomas, who would later become his wife. In addition to his son Trevor from a previous relationship, three children were born of this union, Donnie, Tracy and Carol. Raymond relocated to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in 1962 in search of a better life, where he grew and raised his family. He worked in the security industry for various businesses such as Chase Bank (now JP Morgan Chase), the Harbor View and Stouffer Grand hotels, just to name a few, until his retirement in 2006. One day Raymond decided that having a job to support his family was not enough and enrolled in evening classes at Charlotte Amalie High School, earning his high school diploma in 1974. The achievement was not just for him, but more importantly, it was setting a standard for his children (and future grandchildren) to emulate. He wore his class ring with pride.
In his spare time, you could find Raymond hanging out at Pueblo grocery store with his friends and his cousin JoeJoe waiting to assist his fellow citizens with their transportation needs to and from their destinations. Yes, he was the “Uber” of that time! He loved servicing his community; it brought him a sense of purpose, pride and joy. Unequivocally, however, the most joy came when he would spend time with his grandkids, particularly, taking them to school and picking them up “on time”.
When he wasn’t providing transportation for the community or running his grandkids around, he spent some of his spare time watching cricket, boxing (Mohammed Ali’s biggest fan) and tennis. He had a love for sports. One day while working at the hotel, he recognized someone that he only saw when watching TV. He couldn’t believe his eyes – it was tennis icon, Serena Williams! Serena was quite a “sport” and graciously gave Raymond her autograph. She made his day (and probably his bucket list).
One of Raymond’s favorite songs was a rendition done by reggae artist Ken Booth, “Everything I Own”. He was very kind and giving. Christmas and birthdays were special to him – gifts were never missed by anyone around him, whether family or friend. He was a very quiet, humble, and spiritual man to the very end and will be truly missed by all who were blessed to be in his presence. He will forever be in our hearts.
On June 14, 2022, God called Raymond Collins home after a lengthy illness. To cherish his memories, he leaves behind his son, Geron Trevor Martin; son, Donnie Collins (Arlene); daughters, Tracy Collins and Carol Collins; grandchildren, Kashif Oneal, Atijah Collins (Donielle), Asibah Collins (Danielle), Arlge Bennett, Atibah Fleming (Krista), Shanae’ Liburd, Shaunte’ Liburd, Travis David, Kaivis Stanley, Trevlon Stanley, Trevoncia Stanley, Shaquel Stanley; great-grandchildren, M’Khai Burgan, Lance Cannings, Jr., Azaiah Collins, Serenity Miller, Jiamiah Stanley, Jadan Bennett; nieces, June Rawlins Elliott (Lewis), Sharon Collins-Dejonge (Jafari), Jackie Collins, Karen Martin; nephews, Lincoln Collins (Mary), Eugene Collins (Michel), Carl Collins (Carolyn), Kim McDowell (Jeanie), Dale McDowell (Natalie), Craig McDowell, Dwight Rawlins (Camille) and many beloved extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Adina Collins; wife, Crecita Irma Collins, brothers, Bertram Henry, Walter Collins, Ebenezer Collins and Edgar Collins; sisters, Edna Gumbs, Bernice Collins, Jennie Collins, Iris Collins and Winifred “Myrtle” McDowell.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 21, 12:30 PM at Davis-Struempf Chapel. Interment will follow the service at Mt. Harmony Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends from 11:30 to 12:30 before the service.
For anyone wishing to view the service virutally, a livestream link will be available at the above-listed service time on Raymond's Tribute Page at www.davisstruempf.com.
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