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Submitted: 3/19/23 • Approved: 3/19/23 • Last Updated: 3/22/23 • R1477543-G1477543-S3
Samuel
December 14, 1928 - November 5, 2021
Tommie
September 8, 1932 - August 2, 2001
Samuel H. Collins was born December 14, 1928, to George Collins and Gary Johnson Collins in Parkdale, Arkansas. His mother later married Willie Reed, the man who raised him as his own blood Son. Mr. Willie Reed didn’t believe in stepchildren. In the 1940 census everyone in the Reed household was named as a Reed.
Samuel grew up during the time of sharecropping. They were not allowed to go to school but three months out of a year. They spent the rest of the time working the farm. Although Samuel went to school in a short period of time, he was a quick learner. He learned how to count and do multiplication within those short months. This knowledge would later lead to trouble. Samuel would go with his daddy to settle the yearly account. Samuel noticed that the owner of the farm (Mr. Sam Wilson) would not add correctly and was cheating Willie Reed. Samuel spoke up to challenge the accounting. To this he was not allowed to travel back for accounting the yearly shares. Samuel took it upon himself to call his uncle Jasper to come and get them because they were being cheated. Jasper came and moved them near Pine Bluff where they made money sharecropping and earned money to move Magnolia.
Samuel wanted to attend college and knew he would have come up with the funds to do so. He got a job working in the pulpwood’s. At the age of 17 Samuel was hit by a tree in the woods and left for dead. When transported to the hospital, no one was willing to doctor on him. They said he was going to die and didn’t want to waste their time with him. An old White doctor came through and said he would try to help. The doctor told him that if he knew the Lord he needs to talk to the Lord because there was nothing else that could be done. Samuel spent three months in the hospital and came home paralyzed. His brother Otis became his therapist and taught him to walk.
Samuel not only walked but attended college at AM&N where he met his wife Tommie Utsey and they would be married (August 17, 1955) for 45 years and had three children. Samuel decided to enter the workforce in Camden, AR where he functioned as a chauffeur for Mr. Bird and Usher Drug Store as a delivery boy. Later he got a job working for First National Bank.
While working as a delivery boy in the basement of Usher’s Drug store, Samuel got a call from the Lord to start delivering the Word of God as medicine for the soul. This call would become the life work of Samuel for the rest of his life.
Samuel was licensed by Rev. W.L. Morris and the St. James Baptist Church on June 25th, 1961, as a minister in training to preach the gospel.
Preaching wasn’t a part-time calling but a full-time commitment to saturate himself in the word. Samuel wasn’t allowed to preach anywhere until he had spent time studying with his pastor. Although Samuel had a wife and children to feed, he also knew he had souls to feed. Samuel took the command of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:15 to heart. “Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that need not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.” Samuel received degrees from: Bachelor of Science, Arkansas Baptist College; General Bible Course, Liberty Home Bible Institute, Preach and Teach Certification, Emmaus Bible School; Scofield Bible Correspondence Course, Moody Bible Institute; Jewish Christian Studies, Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies; Certification of Studies, Understanding the Bible; Certification of Completion, The Basics of the Faith, Dallas Theological Seminary; Certification of Completion, Mini Bible College; Certification of Completion, Scofield Bible Correspondence, Moody Bible Institute; Certification of completion, Living by the Book, Dallas Theological Seminary, Certification of Completion, The Institute of Biblical Studies; The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, Moody Bible Institute; Completion of Certification, Messiah, Zola Levitt. Samuel was also blessed to have two mentors in the ministry: Rev. Roy B. Hilton, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in El Dorado took Samuel through every course in Dallas Theological Seminary, and Rev. Rogers took him through every course in New Orleans Theological Seminary. Over the many years of studies, Samuel accumulated over $50,000 in biblical literature. With the courses that he has taken, he has accumulated enough courses to have earned three Ph.D.’s. At the age of 92 Samuel was getting up at 6:00 a.m. taking online Bible courses.
Samuel pastored 4 churches in his career: Mt. Willie Baptist Church, Chidester, AR; Rising Star Baptist Church, Amy, AR; Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Camden, AR and Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, El Dorado, AR where he served for 35 years and led the congregation to build a new edifice. Samuel retired from Mt. Calvary but continued to aid churches by serving as an intern pastor.
As a pastor, Samuel birth six sons in the ministry: Rev. Johnny Ray Allen, Rev. Archie Easter, Rev. Wallace Montgomery, Rev. Donald R. Dredd, Rev. Larry Brown, and Rev. Edward Staples. There were a host of other ministers who studied under his leadership.
Samuel loved the Lord but also loved his family. Samuel and Tommie Collins were united in marriage until the Lord called her into eternity. To this union three children were born. Gregory Keith Collins, Samuel Terrance Collins, and Sheila Kaye Collins.
After the death of Tommie, Samuel was married to Margie Nell Cooper until the Lord called her into eternity. In this marriage Samuel gained 3 children: Jimmy Wyrick (Shena), Force Wyrick Jr. (Kizzy) and La Wanda Wyrick.
Those who proceeded him in death are: His parents George Collins, Gary, and Willie Reed. Two children: Gregory and Samuel Collins. Two Wives, Tommie Collins, and Margie Nell Collins. 5 brothers: Ezekiel “Zeke” Collins, Otis Reed, Edward “Tiny” Collins, George Collins Jr., Willie Collins, 3 sisters: Lille Mae Sargent, Hattie Mae Hill, Ollie Collins He leaves to cherish his memories: Devoted daughter Sheila Kaye Hegler (Donnell) and their children (Jerome Wilbourn, Tina Williams, Cassandra (Curlee) Andrews, Sabrina (Bruce) Pierce, Marcus Allen Burrell Tusa, Ok.), LaTasha (Mike) Aragon, daughter of the late Samuel T. Collins) Champaign, Illinos. Three sisters: Sara Calton , Naomia Shepherd and Octavia “Tavie” Revels of Magnolia, AR, one sisterin-law Reba Collins, Two god-daughters Wanda Jones (Deacon) El Dorado, AR, Sue Browder Shreveport, La , three god-sons Rev. D.R. Dredd (Diane) Ruston, La, Larry Wilbourn (Joyce) Arlington, Tx, Rev. Gerald Wilbourn (Robbie) Lawton, Ok, 38 grandchildren, 65 great grandchildren, 13 great great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and family and his best friend Rev. J.H. Hays and others who loved and respected him.
Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 13th, at 2:00 p.m. at Douglas Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 969 Smackover Hwy, in El Dorado, AR, with interment to follow in Rest Haven Memorial Park in El Dorado, Ar. Dr. Pierce Moore, Officiant. Dr. D.L. Hegler, Eulogist.
Visitation will be Friday, November 12th, from 12 noon - 2:00 p.m. at R.L. Reed Funeral Home in Magnolia, AR, and walk through viewing 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Mt Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 1807 S. West Ave, El Dorado, AR.
Contributed on 3/19/23 by debbraszymanski
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Record #: 1477543