A service of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 12:00 noon in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille, honoring the life of Bernice Menard Collins, 95, who passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 1, 2020 at The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice with family at her side.

Entombment will be in Calvary Mausoleum.

Left to cherish her memory includes her two sons, Floyd Wayne Collins and Douglas George Collins and his wife, Cathy; one daughter Connie Collins Morgan and her husband Del; one sister, Geraldine (Jean) Menard Dunand; seven grandchildren: Rachel M. Im, Michael Morgan, Danielle M. Bowser, Lana M. Mendoza, Taylor Collins, Kelsey C. Byrd, and Lindsey Collins; and seven great grandchildren, Tommy, Kayla, and Chelsea Morgan, Grace, Joanna, and Nathon Mendoza, and Jayne Morgan Bowser.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Duma and Marie Landry Menard; husband, George Floyd Collins; two sisters, Lucille M. Ducharme and Verna Mae Menard; and nine brothers, Willis (Fatty), Bienvenue (Bob), Overton (Pye), Robley (Bris), Ernest (Pete), John, Lee (Neg), Henry (Bud), and Curley (Noonie) Menard.

Although our mother has entered the heavenly realm and is finally home, her life story of resilience is woven into the fabric of our lives. For most of her years, mom was busy raising children and volunteering at church. In her late fifties, she faced unexpected adversity with quiet but steely determination when circumstances caused her to reenter the work force as a sales clerk for Abdalla’s, a popular retail clothing store in Lafayette. Her unwavering persistence to provide for her family not only modeled her tenacious work ethic, but taught us the importance of perseverance. It was her devotion to God that yielded a spirit of fierce determination in the midst of adversity. Her life was a living example of her favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13 ─ “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Mom was happiest when she was at home surrounded by her family. She treasured her children and embraced every moment with them. In the last days of her life, when the challenges of progressive dementia slowly overcame her, it was like losing mom in slow motion. Yet her faith in God never wavered. It produced a life of such profound resilience that in her absence, we continue to marvel at what God has done.