William B. Collins

William Bruce “Bill” Collins, age 76, of Brooklyn, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. He was born Feb. 12, 1940, in Detroit, Mich., to Harry and Marie Collins. Bill proudly served in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Brooklyn High School in 1958. He worked at Chrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Mich., until his retirement in 1999.

Bill’s lifelong passion was cars, starting at a young age when he traded his mother’s bicycle for a Model T, which he turned into a hot rod at age 15.  From there he got into late model stock car racing until a bad accident at Jackson Motor Speedway ended his driving career. He continued building race cars for others and occasionally working on pit crews and later for the track when NASCAR visited Michigan International Speedway.

Bill is survived by his three sons, Tim (Karey) of Oxford, Mich., Bob of Brooklyn, Mich., and Corey (Maricar) of Philadelphia, Pa.; and five grandchildren, William “Billy” Collins, Victoria “Vicky” Collins, Cameron Collins, Taylor Collins and Logan Collins.

A memorial service for Bill has been held. Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2111 University Park Drive, Suite 200, Okemos, MI 48864.

Services provided by Desnoyer Funeral Home, family owned for 126 years.

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