Mr. Stanley E. Collins Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Stanley E. “Stan” Collins passed away on July 24, 2015 at his home in Asheville, NC after a short illness. Stan was founder and owner of Once Upon a Time Book and Toy store in Biltmore Village for the last 22 years. Stan was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on September 14, 1931 but spent most of his young life a couple of blocks from Wrigley Field in Chicago. He was the only child of Cosy Collins and Beth Seidel Collins. Stan received a Bachelors in Business with a minor in Communications from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. His first job out of school was at Illinois Bell in Chicago, then he was on to a marketing position with Manpower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and finally to Toledo, Ohio where he served as Director of Communications for Owens -Corning Fiberglas Corporation. Stan received many awards and accolades throughout his corporate career and was regularly named by the national business press as one of the top public relations executives in the country. While his marketing and public relations career brought much recognition, it has been his second career as retailer with Once Upon a Time that was the joy of his life. Stan loved working in the toy and book business and was passionate about the place Biltmore Village has played in Asheville’s history. He served as president of the Biltmore Village Merchants Association and on the City of Asheville Historic Resources Commission. Stan is survived by his wife of 33 years, Mary, and his children, Linda of San Francisco, CA; Cathy Fitzpatrick and her husband “Fitz” of Tupelo, MS; Bill and his wife Sara of Minneapolis, MN and Zachary of Asheville, NC. Stan also has four grandchildren, Haley, Andrew, Harrison and Parker. He is further survived by many nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters-in-laws and many friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Meagan. In the volunteer world, Stan was President of the Boards of Trustees for the Red Cross of Greater Toledo, the Ability Center of Toledo and the St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation. He was also one of the co-founders of the Toledo Press Club and President of the Toledo Republican Party. He was an amateur gourmet cook and won first place in the Toledo Blade Recipe contest for his chicken pasticcio. Stan loved life and new challenges. He faced each day with a positive attitude and belief that there is no mountain too high to climb in life if you just set your mind to it. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Eugene’s Catholic Church, 72 Culvern Street, Asheville at 11 AM on Wednesday, July 29 with Father Pat Cahill officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Stan's name to The Asheville Humane Society, 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806 or the CarePartners Foundation, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28816.

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Mr. Stanley E. Collins

September 14, 1931 - July 24, 2015