Obituary of Dake Ian Collins

Obituary of Dake "Ian" Bristol Collins To receive later information about Dake’s - Ian’s spring Celebration of Life, please email DakeIanCelebration@gmail.com Dake “Ian" Bristol Collins, age 74, of Liberty, Maine, left on his “Next Great Adventure, Destination Unknown,” (as he put it) on December 5, 2020. Anyone who ever met Dake “Ian” Collins would soon hear his stories, tales and jokes. Mention a location on the planet, he’d either lived there, been there or knew somebody from there. Mention a name, he either worked with them, volunteered with them or had a life experience with them. He was the king of “Six Degrees Of Separation.” If you didn’t know him, just ask someone you know...they probably knew him…. His outgoing nature embodied loving kindness, compassion, humility, humor, forthrightness, and altruism." — from a tribute for Hospice Volunteers by his friend Bonnie Hellwege. Dake Bristol Collins was born on Friday, September 13, 1946 in Rochester, NY, son of Francis and Mary Elizabeth (Bristol) Collins. He was deeply enriched and influenced by spending much of his youth at his Bristol grandparents’ fishing camp Watercombe in Napanee, Ontario where he learned many practical skills including that saved things eventually come in handy for something. He attended Rochester, NY schools and received his B.S. in Education. Dake was conscripted into the army infantry (12th Cav) from 1967-1969. During his US Army experience in Vietnam he experienced firsthand the horror and futility of war. He took a European discharge and spent a year hitch-hiking in Europe, eastern Asia and northern Africa. He moved to the woods of Ontario, Canada to further decompress. He continued his journeys in the US and met and married Jenni Brown and settled in Maine where they raised their son Jesse Bristol Brown-Collins. After working as a carpenter for many years, he was hired as Program Monitor for the state-wide Weatherization Program. Subsequently, he was hired as Economic and Community Development Director for the City of Rockland where he wrote numerous grants to attract and provide funding for small businesses and to renovate many low-income residences. His office “administered grants of more than eleven million dollars, created or helped to retain more than 450 jobs, helped start seven new businesses and strengthened five others,” — Penobscot Bay Business Monthly, thus stimulating revitalization of the city. That vision brought him great personal satisfaction. Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a [parachute] and see a [home]? While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. - from the writings of Jack Kerouac (snitched - without attribution - from an Apple Computer Advertisement) During his Rockland years he also served on the boards of the Midcoast Mental Health Center and the Rockland Public Library. It was during this time that he nearly died, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and subsequently had too many brain infections and operations. Later, he was Town Manager in North Haven. Dake was an avid hiker, skier, skater, and he kayaked anywhere he could, especially with his son, Jesse. He loved wandering and camping in his VW camper and drove many times to Florida to be with his parents. He met his partner Mariah Williams at the last WERU radio fair where they both volunteered in 2007 (a story he loved to tell) and they became life partners for thirteen years, sharing many interests and adventures. Over many years, Dake’s life was enriched by his experiences and friendships in Maine Coast Men, the Rockland Universalist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Churches of Ellsworth and Belfast. He was part of a Veterans For Peace PTSD group and, as long as his health allowed, he participated in annual Maine Peace Walks. In recent years, Ian (as he was known in the Belfast area), volunteered extensively with the Funeral Consumer Alliance and Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County. He especially loved being part of the Palliative Players’ public and hospital presentations which educates and assists folks in making dignified, informed choices about their end-of-life wishes. He enjoyed coordinating the camping area at the Common Ground Fair, staying in his creatively outfitted VW Westfalia, and serving on the board of the Waldo County Cooperative Extension. His health began to more seriously decline in the late 90s with hydrocephalus, Lyme disease, advanced osteoporosis and finally neurodegenerative disease, all of which contributed to increasing pain and debilitation over the last several years. Gratefully, his death in hospital was a peaceful one. Dake’s body was transported home for three days for private visitation and then to Riposta Funeral Home for green cremation. https://emagazine.com/green-cremation Dake experienced two very uplifting near-death experiences, one in Vietnam and one during a brain operation for hydrocephalus. As a result, he had absolutely no fear of dying and that explains his “next great adventure” outlook. FMI Mariah Williams. Dake was predeceased by his younger brother Mark Collins in 1981 and later by his parents Francis and Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Collins. He will be dearly missed by his partner Mariah Williams of Liberty; his son Jesse Bristol Brown-Collins, his wife Christina Flood and their child, Dake’s adored grandson, Henry Collins of Whitefield: Jesse’s mother Jenni Johnson of Newcastle; Jenni's nephew and niece Nathan and Amanda Kenyon; cousins Linda Bristol Morin, Ginny Bristol Smith, Donald “Kip” Bristol and Andy Henrickson; Mariah’s daughter Tracy Williams and husband Scott Allen of Northport, ME, Mariah’s son Jason Williams and wife Crista Barrasso of Huntington, NY; and by his beloved polydactyl black cat, Hemingway. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dake’s or Ian’s memory may be made to Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County, Veterans for Peace, or your favorite environmental organization. Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County: http://www.hospicevolunteersofwaldocounty.org/donations.htm Veterans for Peace: https://vfpmaine.org/donate About VFP: https://www.facebook.com/Maine-Veterans-For-Peace-Chapter-001-210077549029634