ROCKLAND — Dorothy S. Collins, 89, died peacefully at her home on June 19, 2018, surrounded by the love of her family.

Dorothy Murray Small was born on March 5, 1929, in Mexico, Maine, the youngest of three daughters born to Madolyn Davis Small and Albert E. Small. Dottie was raised in Mexico until she was 14. When her parents divorced, she moved to Bath with her mother and sisters, where she graduated from Morse High School in 1947. From an early age, Dottie knew she wanted to become a home economics teacher and attended Farmington State Teachers College.

After her college graduation in 1951, she accepted a teaching position in Rockland. Shortly after she began teaching at Rockland High School, Dottie met a young attorney named Samuel Wilson Collins. They were married the following summer on July 20, 1952, and celebrated 59 years of marriage together until Sam's death in 2012. In 1954, Dottie and Sam built a home on Samoset Road where they raised their three children in a wonderful, close-knit neighborhood. They also built a cozy camp on Megunticook Lake in Camden where the family spent their summers.

During her years in Rockland, Dottie was involved in many community and charitable activities: the choir, Tonian Circle, and church school at the Unitarian-Universalist Church; leading several 4-H clubs; and hospital and hospice volunteer work. She served on the boards of the Rockland Public Library, Community Concerts, and school PTA, and was an AFS host mother to a student from Sri Lanka for a year. She had a wide circle of dear friends and enjoyed traveling to many countries with her husband. In later years, Dottie and Sam spent 16 winters in Green Valley, AZ, where they made many new friends.

Dottie was the most loving and indefatigable wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was the ultimate hostess, hosting many extended family Thanksgivings, Christmases and neighborhood parties. She supported her husband in his career—first as an attorney and later as a state senator and Maine Supreme Court judge, and she became a familiar face in the statehouse and making friends on both sides of the aisle. As a mother and grandmother, she was present, doting, and incredibly loving. Her children and grandchildren enjoyed many days with her picking raspberries in the backyard, collecting shells on the beach, walking the Breakwater, baking breads and pies, and learning to swim at the lake. She loved spending time with her sister, Barbara, and watching the Red Sox. She had beautiful flower gardens and was an elegant cook and accomplished knitter and seamstress.

Dottie was predeceased by her husband, infant son Peter, and sister Ruth Small Smith. She is survived by her sister Barbara Lebel of Bath; son Edward Collins of Camden; daughter Elizabeth Collins Macomber and husband, Jon, of Beverly, Massachusetts; daughter Diane Collins Field and husband, Sumner, of Harpswell; and AFS son, Bandula daSilva of Sri Lanka. Other surviving family members include grandchildren Justin Coffin and wife, Briana, of Cumberland; Jane Collins and husband, James, of New York, New York; Samuel Wilson Collins and partner, Joanna, of Brooklyn, New York; Emma Collins of Camden; Abigail Goodridge and fiancé, Michael, of Brooklyn, New York; Zachary Field and partner, Melissa, of Dover, New Hampshire; Caitlin Field and fiancé, Liam, of South Portland; Trevor Macomber and wife, Kelly, of Sandy Hook, Connecticut; Laura Macomber and partner, Christopher, of Brooklyn, New York; her great-grandchildren Viola and Wesley Coffin, and Marabella and Myles Macomber, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. The family is grateful for the compassionate care provided by the staff of ASK and the hospice team from MaineHealth Care At Home.

Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Dottie's life on Saturday, July 7 at 3 p.m. at Burpee Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock St, Rockland followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation, 22 White Street, Rockland, ME 04841 or the Friends of the Rockland Public Library, PO Box 764, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or story with Dottie's family, please visit their online Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.