Suzanne Mary Collins

Suzanne Collins passed away on September 30, 2026 after nearly a decade living with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She was 61 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Suzanne moved around the U.S. with her family, ultimately settling in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, she attended Pike High School where she was a cheerleader and active in theatre. During her college years at Ball State University, Suzanne was active in many organizations and performed principal roles in numerous BSU and Muncie Civic Theatre musicals. She was a member of the university’s speech team where she met fellow teammate and future husband, Dan Collins. Suzanne developed a love for speech and rhetoric studies which led her to earn a Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication from BSU. She was hired to teach speech communication at Miami University Ohio and coach its speech team. Within one year, Suzanne led the team to an unprecedented ranking of third in the nation. Suzanne went on to serve as the Executive Director of the Indiana chapter of The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, setting organizational records for fundraising.

Suzanne and Dan married in 1994. From there, she devoted herself full-time to her new vocation of mother to their three children. During those years, she used her natural leadership and organizational skills in school and church activities. She was Brownie Troop Leader, creating the troop’s popular tradition of Father-Daughter Square Dance. She wrote and directed interactive student skits teaching Christian themes for the school Masses. She was elected to serve on the school council, helping navigate a time of significant change for the school. Suzanne established the Ministry of Mother’s Sharing program for young moms of the parish to grow spiritually and support each other.

Suzanne was on the team that established St. Simon’s major fundraising event Royal Extravaganza, and, with her husband, provided marriage preparation mentoring for couples.

Through all of this, Suzanne made close, life-long relationships, committing her endless energy to support friends during their personal, family and health challenges. She was a natural cheerleader and motivator for so many people in her life. It would be because of these relationships that Suzanne and her family received abundant support during her journey with Alzheimer’s.

As an aunt extraordinaire, Suzanne relished the chance to create holiday celebrations for her nieces and nephews, and hosted weekend kids’ “camps” filled with non-stop fun.

Perhaps her most indelible impact came when she decided to start a musical theatre program for St. Simon school. Suzanne recruited a team of parent volunteers to help her produce full-scale musicals performed by students. The first two years, Suzanne developed her own themed show, writing the script and selecting Broadway songs that fit the abilities of her young actors. She went on to direct junior versions of popular musicals over the following six years. It was important to her that the kids receive the full learning experience of musical theatre, including auditioning, choreography, stage craft, rehearsal and teamwork. It became the most popular and anticipated extracurricular activity at the school, culminating in more than 70 students each year on and offstage, plus their parents who were actively involved in the production process. Suzanne would receive numerous messages and thank-yous from parents whose child had found joy through the shows when they were otherwise struggling to fit in.

Suzanne is survived by her husband Dan, their children Elise Collins, John Collins and Julia Collins, her siblings Carolyn (Steve) Willeke, Dianne McKeever and Patrick McKeever, and her sisters-in-law Jane Hagenauer and Ann (the late George) Walter, and brothers-in-law Joe (Robin) Collins and Bill Hagenauer.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church, 8155 Oaklandon Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236, on Friday, October 9 at noon, followed by a Rite of Committal at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery. All are also welcome to join a Celebration of Suzanne’s Life on Saturday, October 10 at Sun King Brewery, 9713 District North Drive, Fishers, IN 46037, anytime between 4 and 8 p.m.