Reverend Delores McDowell Collins

Delores Collins, nee McDowell, was born August 03, 1942 in Dayton Ohio, She is the oldest of seven children born to Sanford and Beulah McDowell. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Lexington, Kentucky. 

Delores attended public school in Lexington, graduating from Dunbar High School in 1960. She attended the University of Kentucky and went on to attend the Glasgow School for Practical Nurses in Glasgow, Kentucky. After graduating in 1962 she worked as an LPN for two years. It was during this time she met and married Rudy G. Collins on Feburary 03, 1964.To this union two sons Anthony, and Keith were born to join their half-sister Gayla.

In 1968 the family moved to Ossining New York. Delores continued her education and earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Nyack College. She was employed at Greenburgh-Graham School as both a Teacher and Teaching Assistant for nearly twenty-four years. In the course of this period she worked at IBM Corporate HQ in Armonk for ten years.

Delores was very involved in the community, in the early 1970's she became affiliated with the Peekskill Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. And she served as a Den Mother and Quarter Master for Boy Scout Troop 36 of Montrose, New York. Additionally, she was affiliated with Northern Westchester Black Women's Political Caucus and the International Free Women in Christ.

To further her spiritual growth, she attended The Newburgh Bible Institute where she received  a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1987. Delores earned class valedictorian. She also attended the Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York.

Delores was a member of Mount Lebanon Baptist and accepted a call to preach in May of 1992. Reverend Collins was Ordained at the Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church  Sunday October 31, 1999.

She has served Mt. Lebanon as a member of the Senior Choir, Bible Study and Sunday School Teacher, a member of the Willing Workers, Deaconess, Assistant and Director of Christian Education. She participated in Mt. Lebanon's Television Ministry and Coordinated of the Prison Outreach Ministry at the Taconic Correctional Facility, Bedford Hills, New York.

She was predeceased by her parents Sanford and Beulah, brothers Sanford Jr. and Joseph and sister Ollie Brown.

Left to cherish her memory, Delores is survived by her husband of 56 years, Rudy, sons Anthony(MaryBeth) of New York, NY and Keith, New Rochelle, NY, and her half-daughter Gayla Norwood of Florissant Missouri. Delores also leaves behind two sisters Patricia McDowell and Elizbeth Gill of Louisville, Ky her brother Phillip McDowell of Lexington, Ky. Sister-in-law Jacqueline Thomas of Clarksville, Tenn. Grandchildren Brittany, Bryce and Ella and Great Grandson Brayden and a host of other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

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