Marlene Collins

Marlene (Manasek) Collins passed away at her home in East Amwell, NJ on March 6 at the age of 89.

Raised in the Bronx and the Sourlands by Francis W. and Marie Manasek, Marlene nurtured three sons and six grandchildren, her late husband John, multiple Labrador Retrievers, and her vegetable and native plant gardens. Standing nearly 6' tall, and as skilled with a paintbrush and hammer as a computer and a pitchfork, Marlene inspired students at P.S. 112 across four decades of teaching art, reading, and Spanish in the Edenwald section of the Bronx. The class of 1953 Valedictorian at Christopher Columbus High School, from which she graduated at age 16, she joined the Delta Zeta Sorority and earned a B.A. in History at Hunter College, magna cum laude. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Marlene began graduate studies in United States history at Columbia University, but economic concerns and societal constraints led her to transfer to Columbia Teachers College. There she completed the M.A. that supported her as a beloved mentor to generations of talented students. Drawing on her own experience as a child of immigrants and an English language learner who began school speaking only German, Marlene and her students at P.S. 112 won numerous city, state, and national awards.

Marlene's dear husband John James passed away in 2017. She is survived by her sons John Francis, Stephen, and Robert, her grandchildren Brendan, Gabriel, Stephen Joseph, Stephanie, Eamon, and Sebastian Collins, and her brother Frank Manasek. We are grateful that Marlene was able to spend the last three decades of life enjoying the rocky hillside and red clay soils brightened by the wildflowers and dogwoods that she loved so much.

A wake will be held at Blackwell Funeral Home in Pennington, NJ from 5-7pm on Thursday, March 12. The funeral will take place at St. Alphonsus Church in Hopewell at 10AM on Friday, March 13.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that friends and family treasure and develop the love of learning and the natural world that marked Marlene's life. Or, if determined to donate, we suggest D & R Greenway or The Fund for New York City Public Schools.