Edward Murray Collins JD ’84

01/10/2020

Edward Murray Collins JD ’84 died unexpectedly following a cardiac event on December 12, 2019. He was 64 years old.

The first child of Samuel and Dorothy Collins, Ed was born in Rockland, Maine, on June 12, 1955. After he earned a BA in environmental studies from George Washington University, he worked for Maine Congressional Representative David F. Emery in Rockland and Washington, D.C., as a legislative assistant focusing on environmental and marine matters.

Ed became a member of the Maine Bar in 1984 and began practicing in Rockland in 1985, when he joined his father at the firm currently known as Hanscom and Collins, PA. He was active with the nonprofits North Haven Foundation, North Haven Development Corporation, Megunticook Watershed Association, and St. George Community Sailing, and was on the boards of the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Camden Public Library, the Georges River Land Trust, and the Mid-Coast Mental Health Association. Ed was also president of the Rockland Cemetery Association and a board member of the MCH Neighbor Foundation and the Center for Maine Contemporary Arts. He was president of the Knox County Bar Association and a member of the Maine Bar Association.

Ed loved being outside and especially enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing, snow skiing, and gardening. He shared this love of the outdoors with his children, family, and friends. He also loved a good debate. A great cook, Ed worked hard to create the perfect loaf of French bread.

Ed is survived by his partner, Susan Trenholm; his children, Jane R. Collins, S. Wilson Collins, Abigail E. Goodridge, and Emma M. Collins; his sisters, Elizabeth Collins Macomber and Diane Collins Field; his aunt Barbara Lebel; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.