Michelle Katherine Collins

MICHELLE KATHERINE COLLINS
Michelle Katherine Collins, age 29, of Norman, OK passed away on Tuesday, August 14, 2018.
She was born January 5, 1989 in Oklahoma City, OK to Mike T. Collins and Carmen Fisher Collins.
Michelle grew up in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Lake Arrowhead, CA, and Woodward, OK before attending college in California, then in Oklahoma at SWOSU, and the University of Oklahoma, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2012. Michelle had the honor of carrying the banner for the College of Arts and Science at her graduation ceremony.
While growing up, Michelle was very creative and had a sense of adventure. She had fun where ever she was. Michelle really enjoyed living in the mountains of California: sledding the steep hillsides in the snow with her brother and friends, ice skating, hiking, picnicking, shopping, and going regularly to Disneyland. No roller coaster was ever too fast.
Michelle loved books and reading from an early age. She excelled in every school she attended, and received many, many academic honors. She enjoyed learning languages for fun while growing up and as electives on the university level: Japanese, Russian, German, French, and Spanish.
At OU, she met her future husband Matt. They married May 30, 2010 while attending SWOSU in Weatherford, and moved to Norman later that year. In January 2017, little Tamsin was born and was an indescribably precious addition to their wonderful family!
Michelle had a couple of international traveling highlights which were going to Europe with her AP Humanities class in high school and to Japan with her friend, Mai, who grew up there. They stayed with Mai’s family and toured the country. They were both incredible adventures for her.
She was very creative and enjoyed all kinds of arts, crafts, refinishing furniture, designing new looks in her home, writing, playing her guitar, and playing video games. She excelled in anything she tried. She was a master cook and baker, creating delicious and healthy recipes the scientific way.
She was involved in numerous activities and was loved by everyone she met. She loved helping people, and volunteered her time in many ways. Her most recent was helping with WOOF Pet Rescue based in Woodward, OK. She was able to help from her home in Norman with the online technical side.
Michelle very much enjoyed a mothers group that consisted of about 200 moms from the US and around the world. Their babies all were due within a month of each other in late 2016 and early 2017, and have continued to grow close after their births. Michelle and Tamsin would have playdates with the Norman/OKC moms and toddlers. The night of her death, all the 200 moms honored Michelle wherever they lived by lighting candles for her and sharing pictures of them and memories of her.
Michelle enjoyed doing yoga regularly. She and her friend participated in an “alpaca” yoga event. They didn’t know until they got there that the DISCOVER OKLAHOMA TV show was there for a special interest segment for their show. That episode aired Saturday, August 18, 2018.
She was not afraid to try anything and had a great desire to learn. She always sought to help others and truly enjoyed doing so.
Most of all, she loved her husband Matt and daughter Tamsin. She loved being a wife and mother. She was an incredible mom, wife, daughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend. She is already greatly missed and the world is a better place for having known her.
One more fun tidbit… Michelle loved English and French history. One of her very favorite historical characters was William the Conqueror, King of England. Through ancestry research she found out that she is his 27x great granddaughter.
Michelle was preceded in death by her grandparents Phillip and Imogene Collins, Sam and Jocelyn Fisher, her aunt, Phyllis Runions, and her uncle, Dan Fisher.
She is survived by her husband Matt Lile and daughter Tamsin; her dad, Mike Collins; mother, Carmen Collins; brother, Caleb Collins; and many extraordinarily wonderful Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and dear friends.
The family will be honoring Michelle and celebrating her extraordinary life with an informal memorial celebration on Thursday, August 30th at IAO (Individual Artists of Oklahoma) Galleries, 706 W Sheridan Ave, Oklahoma City, OK. We invite you to stop by between 2 pm and 6 pm, visit and share your memories of Michelle with family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, Michelle would enjoy if your gifts were sent to Second Chance Animal Sanctuary in Norman, OK (found on Facebook) or WOOF Pet Rescue in Woodward, OK (found on Facebook) or if you prefer to donate to her daughter’s 529 College Fund, please make checks payable to COLLEGE AMERICA FUNDS – memo: Tamsin Collins-Lile and mail to:
Danielle Mize
Accounts Manager
KOINONIA FINANCIAL/DAVID A. TRIFON
8505 Technology Forest Place, Suite 201
The Woodlands, Texas 77381
Phone 281/367-2525 Fax 281/298-1040