Ronald Hugh Collins

Ronald Hugh Collins, aged 67, was called home by the Lord on May 4, 2024, peacefully passing surrounded by his family at his home in Green Cove Springs, FL. Hugh was born on March 25, 1957, at Duval Medical Center in Jacksonville Florida to OC and Hilda Collins. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Pam Collins of Green Cove Springs, FL, son Tony Collins (Sarah) of Huntsville, AL, and daughter Diana Bullard (Townsend) of Green Cove Springs, FL, as well as two grandchildren, and a third due in June 2024.  

Hugh was a lifelong Clay County resident, living his entire life in the Doctor’s Inlet and Lake Asbury areas. As such, he was a living testament to the growth and development of the area and could tell you exactly whose field certain shopping centers or neighborhoods were in and what kind of cows or hay were there, much to the delight (or sometimes not) of whoever was riding with him. Hugh worked in HVAC construction in northeast Florida for over 40 years, participating in the many great building booms that have made Jacksonville and the surrounding counties into what they are today. Through years of hard labor and sweat, Hugh was one of the many hands that literally built this city, working on innumerable houses, apartment complexes, commercial buildings, and even iconic local landmarks like the old Jacksonville Landing. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, always making time for those he loved, even when the days were long and tough. Hugh loved to spend time fishing, walking, biking, and more recently riding his golf cart with his family around his beloved Lake Asbury home, as well as cheering for his beloved Florida Gators from the stands of the Swamp and from home on Saturdays in the fall.

Most importantly, Hugh was a man of unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ; his life a shining reflection of Christ’s love for us. He was full of wisdom from the Lord, offering wise counsel and biblical teachings to people of all ages, stages, and walks of life as a Sunday School teacher throughout his life. With his eternal fate secured by salvation in Jesus Christ, Hugh had an indomitable spirit, always living, always thankful for one more day. Even in the face of a terminal diagnosis, Hugh never stopped living or planning for tomorrow, always knowing that he wouldn’t be here a second longer than the Lord required of him. Hugh was a truly amazing man, one of the best any who met him will have, and may he rest in peace and his life be celebrated as surely as he is celebrating the Father in Heaven.

“Lay up not for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

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