Michael T. Collins, 60 of Medway died May 16 in Wingate at Needham following a long illness. He was the husband of Linda (Burnickas) Collins.
Born in Newton, October 17, 1947, the son of the late Michael T. and Katherine (Jewett) Collins, Mr. Collins was raised in Brighton and had lived in Medway for the past 30 years.
Mr. Collins was a graduate of the Boston Latin School and St. John’s Seminary in Boston and also received a Masters Degree from Boston College in Special Education.
Mr. Collins had worked for the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown for the past 30 years.
He was the Director of the Hilton/Perkins International at the Perkins School for the Blind for the past 20 years. He was the founding Director of this program which served thousands of children, their families and teachers in 63 countries.
He had previously been the supervisor at the School of the Deaf blind Program.
He was a member of the Deaf blind International, where he served as a former President, International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment, of which he was a board member, National Coalition on Deaf blindness of which he was the founder, His impact on the lives of thousand of children and their families dealing with deafness and blindness throughout the world will long be remembered.
He enjoyed playing the guitar especially folk music. He was a true Renaissance Man.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, M. Thomas Collins of Medway, his daughters, Stacy A. Collins of Watertown and Elizabeth L. Elliot of Rochester, NY. He is also survived by his brothers, Robert and Timothy Collins, both of Brockton and John Collins of Candia, NH and his sisters, Mary Ellen Spenard of Taunton, Patricia Collins of Millis, Marjorie O’Brien of Hyde Park and Claire Sennott of Nashua, NH.
He is also survived by his grandson, Michael T. Collins, VII.
His funeral will be held on Friday, May 23 from the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home, 3 Barber St. in Medway at 9:15 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Joseph Church at 10:00 a.m.
Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Medway.
Calling hours will be on Thursday from 4-8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the Michael T. Collins Fund c/o Perkins School for the Blind, 175 N. Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472.