John Collins

John Everett Collins Sr. was a horn player and a Life Member of Local 72-147. He passed away at home on February 8, 2026. He is survived by his wife Joanne, son James Edward Collins, and grandchildren Jacob Edward and Madalyn Rene Collins. He was born in a cab in Dallas in 1938 and spent his younger years in Dallas, Longview, and Mesquite. He received a B.M. in Education from SMU in 1961 and a M.M. in Education from the Eastman School of Music in 1962. He had a long horn playing career that included being principal horn of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Fort Worth Opera Orchestra, as well as playing for Casa Manana and the Dallas Summer Musicals. He also taught at TCU, TCJC, and privately in the Richardson and H.E.B. district schools. He taught quite a few of our professional horn players currently working in our local and elsewhere and was always loved and respected as one of the finest humans in the horn world.