Terald Dean Collins, age 64, more commonly known as Butch, passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 at the Hays Medical Center. Butch was preceded in death by his father, Lee Collins (1984), step-father, Glenn Scott (1993) and sister, Judy Dible (2003). He is survived by Janet, his wife of 43 years and best friend for 50 years; daughters: Jodi Moellering, Jacque & Brad Willems, Traci & Ron Hazelton and son Tate & Leslie Collins; mother, Luetta Scott; grandchildren: Chase & Kaci Moellering, Katelyn, Jake & Claire Willems, Sarah & Elle Hazelton, and Trey & Laif Collins.

Butch was born on May 16, 1950 to Lee A. and Luetta Lucille Collins in Colby, Kansas. He was the second of four kids in the Collins' family. Butch attended school in Page City up until the 8th grade, then went to school in Monument until his sophomore year. He graduated high school in 1968 as an Oakley Plainsman.

Three years after graduation, in 1971, Butch married Janet Gibson, on June 6th. Janet was a classmate of his, and the two were high school sweethearts. After marriage, the couple then moved to Hays. Butch went to school at FHSU and got his bachelor's degree in Business Administration while Janet worked as a hairdresser. They lived in Hays for two years, then moved back to Oakley, where they had four kids: Jodi Michele, Jacque Janelle, Traci Denelle, and Tate Dean.

In Oakley, Butch worked at Pioneer Feedlot for about three years. In 1975, Butch purchased the Texaco gas station and owned it for three years. He also worked at Schmitt-Allen Vet Supply for a few years. In 1980, he went to work at C.D. Clark & Sons in the parts department; he worked there for twelve years, and then purchased the dealership with Mark Rueschhoff. The two owned the dealership for about nine years. After selling the dealership to Hoxie Implement, he stayed in the parts department until 2007.

Thru the years, Butch had many passions! His love of fast cars started young and never really left him. It didn't matter if it was a classic muscle car or a demo car, the louder and faster -- the better. Prom 1966, was Butch & Janet's first date in Butch and George's new black, shiny "hot off the showroom floor," 1966 Chevelle Super Sport. In the last few years, Tate had the opportunity to purchase another 1966 Chevelle Super Sport. Dad took many joy rides and reminisced about the good ole' days. He was always up for trying to solve a car dilemma. What can we create to fix this problem? Given a few days, and he'd come up with an idea. Most times he already had the kinks worked out in his head and it worked just like he planned it.

One of his great loves was coyote hunting. Oh the many days of early cold mornings with the coffee thermos, stocking hats, and kids piled into the pickup, feet on the dashboard hanging and waiting for the next chase. After a day of hunting, they would have a list of things to fix on the pickup, feed and tend to the dogs and get them ready for the next weekend. Oh the thrill of the chase....jumping terraces, ditches, ravines, etc, all just part of a fun day of coyote hunting! Some of the many guys that hunted with Butch thru the years were: George Collins, Larry Snodgrass, Leroy Pierce, Bud Selley and Richard Zerr.

Another passion was his love of horses. He and George bred and raised quarter horses in the earlier years but got out of it because it just got too expensive. He always regretted it, but didn't have much of a choice at the time. Later on he had a couple of different teams of horses. Oh he loved driving those horses around the farm, then they would venture out around the section. His first team of Persian horses he received on his 40th birthday. Jan Felker and Richard Scheetz delivered them and Butch was quite excited. For 20+ years we all went to the Butterfield Trail Ride. Oh gosh, the memories made over those years....too many to even begin to list. But those were great times!

In 2007, Butch had a heart attack and while in recovery from a quadruple bi-pass surgery discovered that he had Parkinson's disease and diabetes. After that, work became too much for him, and Butch decided to retire. Even though he "retired", he sure didn't slow down much. Butch and Janet were kept busy going all around Kansas watching the grand kids' activities. No matter what the sport, Grandpa Butch was there cheering & coaching them on. He wasn't a quitter; he did everything in his ability to be the best that he could be, even with Parkinson's. He gave it his all until his very last breath. Butch's time on Earth may be over, but that doesn't mean he's gone. His love and character will remain within the hearts of everyone who came to know Butch Collins.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitide for the concern, love and prayers and the many acts of friendship shown to our family during this time. We all greatly appreciate the kindness.

Funeral service: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at Buffalo Bill Cultural Center Oakley with Pastor Bob Kelly Officiating, with final resting place in Monument Township Cemetery. Visitation: 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday at Buffalo Bill Cultural Cultural Center. Memorials: Logan County EMS in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. Box 221, Oakley 67748. Condolences: www.kennedykosterfh.com.