Obituary of Carole Palmer Collins

Collins, Carole Palmer On Sunday, August 26, 2018, Carole Palmer Collins, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister passed away at the age of 76. Carole, affectionately known as "Spook" to her friends and family, was born on September 13, 1941, at Schofield Barracks Army Hospital, Oahu, Hawaii, to James Richard and Carrie Elizabeth (Cone) Watt. She was at Wheeler Field, where her father was stationed as an Army Air Corps pilot during the raid on Pearl Harbor and Wheeler on December 7, 1941. In 1943, after her father was killed in action, she and her mother relocated to live with family in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1948, her mother married Andrew Palmer, a widower, who had a son, Richard. Carole and Richard grew up in Thornburg together, graduated from Crafton High School and remained the best of friends throughout her life. Carole attended Lake Erie College in Ohio. She later transferred to the University of Arizona, where she graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1963. It was at the U of A where she met her husband, Corky, after standing him up on their first blind date to go to a baseball game. They were married on August 8, 1964, and over the course of 54 years together they raised three children and spoiled 11 grandchildren. They made Tucson their home but spent four years in Santa Maria, California and almost three more in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Carole was always generous with her time and talents. She was an avid hand quilter and a member of the Tucson Quilters Guild. She enjoyed making beautiful quilts for family, friends and causes that she was passionate about. For many years, Carole volunteered her time to the St. Lukes Board of Visitors Committee. Carole was known for her quick wit and incredible sense of humor. She had a life long love for baseball, especially her Pirates and Cubs, but when the baseball season ended she was rooting for her Steelers with her "Terrible Towel." There was also a special place in her heart for Basset hounds, horses, rescue animals and a really good mystery novel. Carole is survived by her husband of 54 years, Cornell "Corky" Collins, their children: daughter Carrie (Mike) Barcom, son Andrew (Jenny) Collins, daughter Jane (John) Maciulla; 11 grandchildren: Cody, Taylor, Thomas, Olivia, Emma, Kaetie, Jack, Jackson, Rory, Aislyn & Susannah, and brother Richard (Diane) Palmer of Danby, VT. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Luke's Home of Tucson, Saving Animals from Euthanasia (SAFE) and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (www.PHAssociation.org). Thank you to Alice Sisco and Kerri Hellyer with CVS Specialty Pharmacy and special thanks to Dr. Franz Rischard and the Pulmonary Hypertension Team at Banner Health and Banner Hospital MICU for taking such wonderful care of Carole.