Patricia Collins, a longtime Aroostook County resident and mother of six, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, died Tuesday at age 96.
The senator’s office announced the death in an email to the media, with details about the elder Collins’ life.
She was born in Colombia, South America, but came to the U.S. with her parents at a young age. She was raised in New York but traveled north to Maine to attend college at the University of Maine and never left.
Collins and her husband, Don, married in 1948 and spent their life in Caribou, where they raised their children. Don Collins died in 2018.
Patricia Collins spent much of her life in public service. She was the first woman elected mayor of Caribou and the first female chair of the UMaine System Board of Trustees, and also served on numerous other boards and committees throughout her life.
Collins was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005. With Susan Collins’ induction in 2011, they became the first mother and daughter inductees. She was also part of the first husband and wife team to serve as mayor of Caribou; her husband, Don, was the city’s second mayor.
“My family is mourning the loss of our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Pat Collins, who died today at age 96,” Sen. Collins posted on Facebook. “She was dedicated to her family, church, community, and state. In addition to raising six children with my father Don Collins, she served as Mayor of Caribou, chaired the Caribou School Board, headed the Catholic Charities Maine Board of Trustees, and was the first woman to chair the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. My mother was also an extraordinarily talented artist who painted watercolor portraits and a fabulous cook who published two cookbooks. We all will miss her so much.”
Patricia Collins is survived by all of her children, including Susan Collins and her husband, Thomas Daffron; Kathleen Wiesendanger of South Portland; Michael, and his wife, Debbie, of Saco; Nancy, and her husband, Richard Sperry, of Haverford, Pennsylvania; Samuel, and his wife, Lise, of Caribou; Gregg, and his wife, Lori, also of Caribou; 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Kathleen’s husband, John Wiesendanger, died earlier this year.
Gov. Janet Mills issued a statement Tuesday honoring Collins, whom she called a trailblazer and friend.
“Pat never stopped working to make Maine a better place,” Mills said. “Pat will be remembered for her extraordinary character, marked by grace and integrity. She leaves behind a deep legacy of service that will live on through her six children.”
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