Bernice L. Collins, 99, a 60-year Wilmette resident, died Jan. 10 in New York. Affectionately known as “Bo” she was the loving mother of Barbara Collins Franznick and Carol Collins, of New York and Kevin Collins of San Francisc, CA; she was the proud grandmother of Kevin, Cathy, Christopher and Tim Franznick, New York and Kerry Thomas, Sacramento, CA; and was the great-grandmother of Emma and Aiden Franznick and newborn, Alexandra Thomas. She is also survived by her sister, Helen and several nephews, nieces and extended family. She was married for 37 years to advertising executive Ed Collins who died in 1969. With his death, Bo, a homemaker all her life, embarked on a remarkable career in real estate at an age 62 when most others are nearing retirement. For 30 years, she was a fixture on the North Shore, working with several of the areas leading brokers. Under five feet tall, she was nevertheless a dynamo, holding open houses and showing properties into her late 80sChicago weather or not. Bo loved everything about real estate, but the one she loved best was the family home in Wilmette, where she lived from 1942 until moving to New York in 2002. Internment Saturday, All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines. Funeral Mass follows, St. Joseph’s Church, Wilmette. Hallowell Funeral Services, 773-472-0461.
