Obituary for Gerda Hildagard Collins (Feldsmann)
Gerda Collins of Martinsburg, WV passed away at the age of 88 on April 22, 2023 at Hospice of Eastern Panhandle.
Gerda was born April 11, 1935 in the small town of Olawa, Poland. Her father was Alfred Feldsmann and her mother was Martha Sopora-Feldsmann.
As a child, she would speak of playing and fishing along the Oder River. She also spoke of memories picking berries and baking German goodies with her mother as a young girl. Gerda was a child of WW2; she became a refugee cutting her adolescence short in order to survive and transferring her livelihood to Germany. After the war, growing up in Germany, she was able to secure a job as a porcelain artist and other various creative jobs.
In 1969, she married Gilbert E Collins who was in the US Army at that time in Karlsruhe, Germany. She came to the United States in 1973. Shortly thereafter, her husband passed away from complications of the Vietnam war. With two children in tow, she moved from place-to-place to gain a foothold in a brand-new country initially settling in West Union, West Virginia for a time, Pico Rivera, California, Riverside, California, Columbus, Indiana, Richmond, Virginia, New Martinsville, West Virginia, Woodsfield, Ohio, and finally Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Her favorite things to do was taking care of her two dachshund dogs Ginger and Lucy, tending to her flower garden, taking a long drive and count the number of deer she saw, spending time with her son, having a nice salad at Olive Garden, looking for German bakeries and delis, and visiting her late friend Edie, her best friend. She was known for her whimsy, making jokes whenever she felt like getting a laugh and her candor. And her love for animals was beyond compare, all creatures great and small. She told stories of her pet goose also of her same name, Gerda.
She is survived by her sister Marianne of California, daughter Syndi of Colorado, daughter Birgit of West Virginia, son Gabriel of West Virginia, granddaughter Nicole of Tennessee, great grandsons Xaden and Devin of Tennessee, granddaughter Amber of West Virginia.
She is predeceased by her parents, sisters Martha and Hildegard, and brothers Gunther and Fritz.
There will be a private service only. Her passing will leave a void that cannot be filled.
In lieu of flowers, consider making a charitable donation in her name to North Shore Animal League in her memory. About North Shore Animal League https://www.animalleague.org/who-we-are/. To place a North Shore Animal League donation in Gerda’s name https://secure3.convio.net/nsala/site/Donation2?df_id=1600&1600.donation=form1&_ga=2
Sympathy card address for donations as follows: Gabriel Collins, PO Box 591, Martinsburg, WV 25402.
Arrangements made by Brown Funeral Home.
Gerda was born April 11, 1935 in the small town of Olawa, Poland. Her father was Alfred Feldsmann and her mother was Martha Sopora-Feldsmann.
As a child, she would speak of playing and fishing along the Oder River. She also spoke of memories picking berries and baking German goodies with her mother as a young girl. Gerda was a child of WW2; she became a refugee cutting her adolescence short in order to survive and transferring her livelihood to Germany. After the war, growing up in Germany, she was able to secure a job as a porcelain artist and other various creative jobs.
In 1969, she married Gilbert E Collins who was in the US Army at that time in Karlsruhe, Germany. She came to the United States in 1973. Shortly thereafter, her husband passed away from complications of the Vietnam war. With two children in tow, she moved from place-to-place to gain a foothold in a brand-new country initially settling in West Union, West Virginia for a time, Pico Rivera, California, Riverside, California, Columbus, Indiana, Richmond, Virginia, New Martinsville, West Virginia, Woodsfield, Ohio, and finally Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Her favorite things to do was taking care of her two dachshund dogs Ginger and Lucy, tending to her flower garden, taking a long drive and count the number of deer she saw, spending time with her son, having a nice salad at Olive Garden, looking for German bakeries and delis, and visiting her late friend Edie, her best friend. She was known for her whimsy, making jokes whenever she felt like getting a laugh and her candor. And her love for animals was beyond compare, all creatures great and small. She told stories of her pet goose also of her same name, Gerda.
She is survived by her sister Marianne of California, daughter Syndi of Colorado, daughter Birgit of West Virginia, son Gabriel of West Virginia, granddaughter Nicole of Tennessee, great grandsons Xaden and Devin of Tennessee, granddaughter Amber of West Virginia.
She is predeceased by her parents, sisters Martha and Hildegard, and brothers Gunther and Fritz.
There will be a private service only. Her passing will leave a void that cannot be filled.
In lieu of flowers, consider making a charitable donation in her name to North Shore Animal League in her memory. About North Shore Animal League https://www.animalleague.org/who-we-are/. To place a North Shore Animal League donation in Gerda’s name https://secure3.convio.net/nsala/site/Donation2?df_id=1600&1600.donation=form1&_ga=2
Sympathy card address for donations as follows: Gabriel Collins, PO Box 591, Martinsburg, WV 25402.
Arrangements made by Brown Funeral Home.