Katherine Anne “Annie” Pellow Collins, 81, passed away on September 23, 2026, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Anne was born April 30, 1945, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Tom and Virginia Pellow. She grew up in Gwinn, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and later attended Wayne State University in Detroit, where she studied English and developed a lifelong love of words and writing.

Anne married William “Bill” Collins on December 27, 1968, in Marquette, Michigan. They shared 48 years of marriage until his death. During Bill’s military service, Anne often managed family life on her own while raising their two daughters. After the military, Annie and Bill lived in Louisiana and Texas before settling in Cherokee County, Georgia.

Anne was warm, generous, quick-witted, and extraordinarily funny. She loved books, music, teacups, cats, birds, and a meticulously clean home. Her family fondly remembers her as the “Queen of Clean,” for whom vacuuming was therapy and carpets were not finished until every fiber was standing up “saluting.”

Words were one of Anne’s greatest gifts. She wrote poems and stories, made cards, and rarely missed an opportunity to send a note of encouragement, celebration, sympathy, or friendship. Her humor was equally memorable, and she often reminded her family, “A good sense of humor will see you through.”

In later years, Alzheimer’s disease gradually changed Anne’s life and eventually brought her to Wisconsin for assisted living and hospice care. Even as the disease progressed, her humor, warmth, and gift for words continued to shine through.

Anne is survived by her daughters, Kathy Kaiser (Bob) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Frances Chambers (TJ) of Ellijay, Georgia; grandson, Andrew Seelund of Milwaukee; and sisters, Martha LaChance (Paul) of Fort Worth, Texas, and Mary (Gene) of Lafayette, Indiana.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William “Bill” Collins; parents, Tom and Virginia Pellow; and brothers, Pat Pellow and Dan Pellow.

Anne will be remembered for her devotion to family and friends, her gift with words, her generosity, and, above all, her laughter.