Elizabeth "Beth" Mathews Collins

Elizabeth (Beth) Mathews Collins passed away at home on Saturday, August 25, 2018, after several years of battling cancer. She was a native of Fort Valley, Georgia, where she grew up and eventually returned to raise her children, the late Bill Collins and Jay Collins. She was a graduate of both Fort Valley High School and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Beth was a school teacher for several years before turning her sights to real estate, where she eventually started, ran, and owned Village Realty Co. in Fort Valley. Always civic minded, Beth first served as a Fort Valley City Council member in 1988. While not serving continuously, she served a total of 18 years, ending in 2015. Beth also served on the County Development Authority and on the Board of Trustees of the Fort Valley United Methodist Church. She was devoted to her beloved city and church.

Beth was a strong Christian who loved reading her Bible, C.S. Lewis, and George McDonald. She adored attending Indian Springs Holiness Campground and did so from her teenage years until her death. She loved her God and Savior, her family, her Sunday School Class, and her many friends, including four lifelong friends since age 3: Nan Fagan Evans, Etta Hiley Garner, Sylvia Scarborough Vann, and Marny Hatcher Wagner.

Beth was preceded in death by her precious son, William (Bill) Burton Collins III, her husband, William Burton Collins Jr., as well as her mother, Evelyn Gibson Mathews, father, Samuel Moore Mathews (Diddy), and her brother, Samuel Moore Mathews, Jr. (Sammy).

Beth leaves behind her twin sister and best friend, Mary Mathews Humble; son, John “Jay” Houser Collins (Roya), and their three children, Cameron Burton Collins (17), Nikki Sophia Collins (13), and David Kion Collins (9). She also leaves behind two grandchildren from her beloved son Bill: a granddaughter, Ana Margarita “Maga” Collins Pierce (Richie), and one great grandchild, Isaac Rhodes Pierce (1), as well as grandson, William Andrew Collins. She leaves a niece, Mary Hart Humble (Carlos Eduardo Cardenas), great-niece, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Cardenas, nephew, John Carter “Johnny” Humble, and first cousin, Margaret McKinnon Mathews. She leaves nephews, Henry Asbury Mathews II and Andrew Wilhelm Mathews. She also leaves several great-nieces and nephews: Amber Louise Mathews, Joshua Moore Mathews (Kathleen), and Jerome Samuel Mathews, as well as great great-nieces and nephews: Austin Lee Mathews, Chase Joseph Mathews, and Sarah Wilhelmina Mathews.

Visitation will take place in the Fellowship Hall of the Fort Valley United Methodist Church from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, August 26, 2018. Funeral Services will take place at 11:00 a.m. the following day, Monday, August 27, in the Fort Valley United Methodist Church Sanctuary. Interment for Mrs. Collins will immediately follow the service and will be private at the request of the family.

Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Mathews Collins to her favorite charity, SmileTrain, 633 Third Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York, 10017 or online at www.smiletrain.org/donate.

McCullough Funeral Home in Warner Robins has the privilege of being entrusted with the final arrangements for Mrs. Collins.