White Funeral Home
400 First Street West
Independence, Iowa 50644

Independence – Virgil L. Collins, 76, of Independence, Iowa died in his home under the care of his children and Unity Point Hospice on Sunday September 20, 2020.

Virgil was born on February 10, 1944 in Independence, IA to Warren and Stella (Ulm) Collins.  He graduated from Jesup High School in Jesup, IA in 1962 and later attended Brown Institute in Minneapolis, MN.  He also studied at the World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, IA.  He married Connie Julian in 1964 and they later divorced.  On August 4, 1978 he married Mitzi Aalderks in Aplington, IA.

Virgil was employed in various commercial design engineering positions for nearly his entire career, retiring in 2019.  He owned and operated Major Metal Products, Inc in the 1980’s.  During his career his design ingenuity was instrumental in numerous U.S. Patents.  He often simply referred to himself as a ‘Garbologist’.  In his free time he loved everything Iowa Hawkeyes, was once a member of the United States Chess Federation, and was actively involved in Boy Scouts during his youth and also with both of his sons.  Virgil could light up a room full of strangers or friends with his quick wit and humor.  His greatest joy was his family and friends.

Virgil is survived by his children; Mike Collins of Gladbrook, IA, Jill Collins of Traer, IA, Christine (Jeff) Fischer of Whitleyville, TN, Lisa Peek (Drew Podgorski) of Machesney Park, IL, John Collins of Guttenberg, IA, along with 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.  He is also survived by his brother Clark (Maggie) Collins of Guttenberg, IA, sister Connie (Lester) Ott of Jesup, IA, sisters in law Kay Collins of Eaton, CO and Sheila Collins of Jesup, IA.

He is preceded in death by his wife Mitzi in 2019, his parents, brothers Ivan Collins and Roger Collins, son in law William Baumeier, and great grandson Layton Matthew.

Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 28, 2020, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Independence. Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Independence.  Visitation is from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27^th, at the White Funeral Home in Independence.

The funeral will be livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, which can be found at www.ImmanuelIndee.com then click the "Join Us on Facebook!" button. Also on Facebook, you can go to the church's page by searching: Immanuel Lutheran Church - Indee.