York Village Fire Department regrets to announce the passing of FF Marvin Collins. Marvin was a very special person and a man of few words. Marvin has been a member of our department since 2003. He has previously been a member of the Newry and Bethel, Maine Fire Departments. Marv has served our department in multiple capacities, including as our department treasurer, firefighter, apparatus chauffeur, and most importantly as a friend. He was given quite a send off for his funeral. he was waked on Sunday night.
Through the experience of the funeral service, members learned more and more of a man who wore many hats. Everybody at York Village Fire who worked with Marvin or “Buddy” as his family all referred to him as knew he was a special person, unfortunately it wasn’t until his funeral when everybody came together from Marv’s “many lives” did we realize how special this man was. The more people talked about him, the more it was made clear that he was a person who really lived life to his fullest and did so with no regrets. Marvin was a talented person who could seemingly turn his hand towards anything and do really well with it. He was a friend to all who knew him and a mentor to many. Marvin leaves behind a wife and two adult children. We were proud to have been able to be part of the celebration of life for such a great person. Our condolences are with the Collins family during this difficult time. He is the type of guy who we wish we had a lot more time with. (Marvin is the firefighter at the center of this photograph, shown at Firemen’s Field Day 2003)
