Thomas Wharton Collens, Jr.'s Obituary
Thomas Wharton Collens, Jr. died March 13, 2010 at the age of 92.
Beloved husband of Joyce Gain Collens for 63 years; son of the late Stella Harang Collens and Thomas Wharton Collens; brother of Frances Collens Curtis of New Orleans; father of Thomas Wharton Collens III (Nancy) of Covington, LA, Nan Stothard (Hank) of San Juan Capistrano, CA, and the late Peter Lancaster Wharton Collens; grandfather of Thomas Wharton Collens IV (Mandy) of Suwanee GA, John “Jack” Daniel Collens of Athens GA, and Dylan Greenhoe (Annie) of Abu Dhabi, UAE; great-grandfather of Jack and Charlie Greenhoe.
He was an avid theater-goer and devotee of the performing arts, served with the U.S. State Department as American Vice Consul to the Belgian Congo (Zaire), where he met and married his wife, Joyce.
He was born in New Orleans and educated at Jesuit and Fortier High Schools, and graduated from Tulane University and Law School. He and Joyce spent many years in Baton Rouge, where he entered the mortgage banking business with his late uncle, Lancaster W Collens. He later moved to Key Biscayne, FL and retired to Covington in the late 1980’s after serving as President of Sears Mortgage Corporation. For the last several years, he and Joyce have been residents of Christwood.
He is the great-great grandson of the founder of Covington, John Wharton Collins.
Services will be held at E J Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 W. 21st Ave., Covington LA on Wednesday, March 17 at 2:00 PM.
Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 PM.
Interment at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens will follow services.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations for the benefit of Maurice “Mac” Carr, St Jude Children’s Hospital, Post Office Box 56005, New Orleans, LA 70156.
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