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Peter Collins
Peter Collins of East Hampton died on July 4 at Southampton Hospital, after a 10-month bout with cancer. He was 66.
Born May 24, 1944, in Stalybridge, Cheshire, England, to Jessie (née Cawley) and Irvine Collins, he married Hilary Mary Collins on September 6, 1967.
After residing in different locales in England, including Liverpool (1962-1967), London (1967-1968, and later 1972-1975), Tewkesbury (1968-1970), Wokingham (1970-1972) and Chester (1975-1978); he moved to the United States and lived in Manhattan from 1978 to 2001, while maintaining a summer residence in Southampton from 1980. In 2001 he moved permanently to East Hampton.
He attended Liverpool University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966 and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering in 1967. He went on to receive a master’s in business administration from the City University in London in 1974. He worked for Costain Civil Engineering from 1967 to 1973 and Ocean Transport and Trading from 1974 to 1986.
According to family, Mr. Collins was known for his innovative and personal approaches to helping business owners expand, maximize, and reposition for transitions or re-acquisition.
He was self-employed under Buckingham Inc./Exit Planning from 1986; and a corporate director of Renn Capital Group, Inc. for more than 15 years, both up to the time of his death. Family said that he was respected and recognized both nationally and locally for his consulting, speaking, and mentoring, and the combination of his ability to understand complex problems with his humility in expression allowed him to relate to and be heard by many.
He was a board member with Oxbo and a business consultant and financial advisor specialist in mergers and acquisitions for TEC/ Vistage, of which he was chair. He was a distinguished speaker at major business conferences, family recalled, and could also be found consulting with individual local business owners over coffee.
In a tribute letter to Mr. Collins, Russell Cleveland, chairman of Renn Capital Group, Inc. wrote “Peter was more than a business colleague ... he was a good friend and someone who could be counted on. He had a cheerful optimistic nature about him. This was an inspiration to all of us.”
A member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton, he served on the church vestry. He was also a member of the Princeton Club and the Southampton Hospital board of trustees; a former member of Southampton Bath and Tennis Club (1982-1993) and Water Mill Beach Club (1995-2001); and a new member of the Devon Yacht Club in Amagansett.
An avid reader of fiction and history, he was most enthusiastic about sports. He played rugby and soccer into his 30s, enjoyed playing tennis and would try anything from hiking to sailing.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Hilary Mary Collins of East Hampton; his father, Irvine Collins of England; two daughters, Dr. Louise Collins and her husband Harry Hackett III of Bridgehampton, and Sally Collins of Manhattan; four grandchildren, including a special granddaughter, Phoebe; a brother- and sister-in-law, Ron and Barbara Nelson; a niece, Jo Nelson; and a nephew, Paul Nelson.
A memorial service officiated by the Reverend Canon Denis C. Brunelle and the Reverend Darwin Price was held on July 13 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton. Cremation followed.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Southampton Hospital Foundation, 240 Meeting House Lane, Southampton, NY 11968 or Fighting Chance Counseling and Resource Center for Cancer Patients, P.O. Box 1358, Sag Harbor, NY 11963 would be appreciated by the family.
on Jul 20, 2010