Dr. Thomas Anthony Collins, Sr., husband and father of six children, passed away on January 4th at the age of 83.  Tom was born on May 25th, 1937, in Oak Park, Illinois.

Dr. Collins received his advanced degrees from Loyola Dental School and Stritch School of Medicine.  In 1967, he completed his Oral and Maxillofacial surgery internship and residency at Parkland Hospital, Dallas, Texas.  He then joined private practice Dr. Rex Witherspoon and Dr. Jim Brown here in Springfield.  Dr. Collins brought orthognathic jaw and facial bone surgery to the area and over time developed and authored advanced dental implant and bone grafting techniques now widely used in the field of oral surgery.

He was an avid outdoorsman with love for adventure and being outside with nature.  He was a skilled hunter and well known for his nature-based artwork.  He was a wonderful teacher and well known for his generosity and compassion that touched many lives.

Dr. Collins was married to his wife, Barbara, for 57 years and is survived by his six children, Dr. Thomas A Collins, Jr., Kelly Pankowski, Dr. Patrick Collins, Jennifer King, Julie Davenport and Bart Collins as well as 15 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at Greenlawn Funeral Home East (3540 E. Seminole, Springfield, MO) on Saturday, January 9th, from 11:30-12:30 followed by a private family service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the not-for-profit Maple Park Cemetery (300 West Grand Street, Springfield, Missouri, 417-869-0217, or online at mapleparkcemetery.org) in memory of Dr. Thomas Anthony Collins, Sr.