Tom Collins passed away last week at the age of 100. Leaving behind a wealth of survivors, Collins was born in Yazoo City, Miss., but passed away at Miller’s Merry Manor in Culver. He was a former resident of Chicago, working as a meat packer, but moved to Winamac in 1969. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian Williams, who passed away on February 14, 2002.
Collins played professional baseball on a team many people may not know: the Memphis Red Sox, a professional Negro League baseball team based in Memphis, Tenn., from the 1920s until the end of segregated baseball. Collins even played with one very notable player from the team: Satchel Paige, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971—the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues.
A funeral service will be held for Collins at the Frain Mortuary in Winamac on Friday, February 33rd, at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by a burial at Mt. Zion-Franklin Township Cemetery. Visitation will be after 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday, February 3rd at the funeral home.
Collins is survived by several generations, including four great-great-grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; five grandchildren; his sister, Johnny Oliver of Chicago; his daughter, Vera Flowers of Winamac, and several nieces and nephews.
