Joshua Lee Collins
Born: August 12, 1979
Died: June 17, 2020
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 22, 2020
Joshua Lee Collins
Word has been received of the death of Joshua Lee “Boss” Collins, 40, of Saranac Lake, who died on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 in Saranac Lake.
A Mass of Christian Burial is tentatively set to take place on Thursday July 2, 2020 at St. Bernard’s Church in Saranac Lake with burial immediately following at St. Bernard’s Cemetery on Ampersand Avenue in Saranac Lake. A full obituary will be published at a later date.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home, 20 Church Street, Saranac Lake. Friends wishing to remember Joshua Lee Collins may make memorial contributions to the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 12 Gabriels, in care of the funeral home. Family and friends can also share their memories and sign the online guest book at Fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 24, 2020
Joshua Lee Collins
Joshua Lee “Josh” Collins, 40, of Saranac Lake, died Wednesday, June 17, 2020, in Saranac Lake.
Affectionately known as “Boss,” Josh was born in Saranac Lake on Aug. 12, 1979, the son of Darius Collins Jr. and Janice (Criswell) Collins.
Boss was a lifelong resident of Saranac Lake and Syracuse. He graduated from Saranac Lake High School in 1999. Boss then attended North Country Community College in Saranac Lake and Bryant & Stratton College in Liverpool, where he received an associate degree in Computer Information Technology. He also maintained several jobs in the Tri-Lakes area and Syracuse, working for Ames Department Store, Price Chopper of Lake Placid and as a newspaper carrier for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Josh also worked as a parking attendant for Centro during the New York State Fair, a job he loved. He was also a volunteer for the Onondaga Historical Society in Syracuse, and after becoming an Eagle Scout in 1998, Josh volunteered regularly for the Boy Scouts of America.
Josh is survived by his mother Janice; his father Darius Jr.; one sister, Heidi; and three brothers: Darius III, James (Anneashia) and Jeremy (Elizabeth). Josh is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Josh was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents: Grandma and Grandpa Criswell, and Grandma and Grandpa Privino.
Arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian burial is scheduled for Thursday, July 2 at noon at St. Bernard’s Church in Saranac Lake. Burial will immediately follow in St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Saranac Lake. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, face masks and social distancing are required.
Family and friends wishing to remember Joshua Lee Collins may make memorial contributions to the Boy Scouts of America Troop 12, Gabriels, in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home, 20 Church St., Saranac Lake, NY 12983. Family and friends can also sign the online guestbook and share their memories at fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.
Syracuse.com, June 18, 2020
Longtime Syracuse man dies in bike-truck collision; was OHA volunteer, presidential history buff
Collins, a longtime Syracuse resident who recently relocated to his hometown of Saranac Lake, was a volunteer for many years at the Onondaga Historical Association, where his knowledge and interest of history — particularly presidential history — flourished.
Collins, 40, died Wednesday in Saranac Lake when his bike collided with a garbage truck, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported.
At the OHA, Collins helped with administrative support, including membership database and renewals and mailings, as well as with special events and archives. While in Syracuse, Collins received an associate degree in IT from Bryant & Stratton College in Liverpool.
“If you have ever received anything from OHA, chances are very good that Josh helped to make it happen,” said Pamela Priest, OHA archivist and research center manager.
Collins’ knowledge of history was vast. Pick a day of the year and he’d likely be able to rattle off a list of historical events that happened on that date. Tell him where you lived and he could tell you your zip code.
“He knew zip codes like no one else,” Priest said.
He’d post U.S. presidential trivia questions for followers of his Facebook page. Did you know that President James Garfield was both the first left-handed president and could simultaneously write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other? Josh Collins did.
When not volunteering at OHA, Collins worked as a parking attendant for Centro during the New York State Fair, a job Priest said Collins “absolutely loved.” An Eagle Scout, Collins was also an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts. He’d sometimes ask Priest for help putting up flyers for spaghetti dinners benefiting the troop.
As a teen in 1994, Collins participated in the New York State Parks Games for the Physically Challenged, where he won gold medals in the 400-meter, 800-meter and 50-meter freestyle, as well as a silver medal in shot put and discus, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported. Collins was autistic.
Collins was a member of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints on East Colvin Avenue in Syracuse. There he helped put out the weekly bulletins, Priest said, and would organize a group of guys from the church to volunteer at the OHA.
Even after moving back to Saranac Lake to be closer to family, Collins would keep in touch with those he grew close with at the OHA. Sometimes he’d check in with the staff to make sure everything was running smoothly. Other times he’d just want to tell a joke or share a fun tidbit of history.
A GoFundMe fundraiser to pay for Collins’ funeral and other expenses has raised more than $6,500.
“To say he will be greatly missed is an understatement,” Priest said.