Terrence G. “T.J.” Collins, Jr.

Terrence G. “T.J.” Collins, Jr.
March 14, 2000 -October 29, 2021
Age 21 years

T.J. was preceded by his maternal grandparents, Dennis and Yvonne Sullivan of Omaha, Nebraska; paternal grandmother, Patricia Collins; cousins, Erica Sullivan and Amanda Sullivan.  He is survived by his mother, Diane M. Collins; father, Terrence G. “Terry” Collins (Michelle); stepsiblings: Eli, Dru, and Anika Roddy; daughter, Harper E. Collins (mother, Rebecca Swanda); sisters Shannon Webb (Paul) with stepnephew, Toliver, Sarah Kimbrough (Jon) with niece, Loretta Kimbrough, all of Omaha; paternal grandfather, Rollin P. Collins, Jr. (Bonny) of Ocean View, New Jersey; loving aunts and uncles: Pam Fleming (Robb Knapp) of White Plains, New York, Tim Collins (Fereshteh Mousavi) of New Hyde Park, New York, Rick Sullivan (Vickie) of Littleton, Colorado, Julie Collins of Ossining, New York, Chris Sullivan (Barb) of Omaha; David Sullivan of Charleston, South Carolina, John Sullivan (Staci) of Trophy Club, Texas, Lisa Caputo of Omaha; many wonderful cousins from near and far: CJ Fleming (Allie) of Inglewood, California, Ryan Fleming (Nicollette) of Jersey City, New Jersey, Lauren Fleming (Erik Steingas) of Santa Cruz, California, Maggie Sullivan of San Diego, California, Cassie  Aguilar (Mike) of Omaha, Lauren Sullivan of Charlotte, South Carolina; Gianna, Ava and Dominic Caputo of Omaha, Denni and Brock Sullivan of Dallas, Texas, Natalie Collins of Austin, Texas, Christopher Collins of New York, New York, Dylan Sorkin of Ossining, New York.

T.J. attended St. Vincent de Paul Grade School and graduated from Boys Town High School in 2018.  He was awarded the highest scholarship awarded by Boys Town, the Monsignor Nicholas H. Wegner Academic Scholarship.  T.J. was amazingly gifted with intellect and a great compassion for humanity.  T.J. briefly attended Midland University and joined the E-Sports team.  It is there he met Becca and his two closest friends, Cody and Jacob.

T.J. was pursuing a career in music production as he so loved ALL kinds of music, mostly the cutting/hard rhythm edge type and enjoyed EDM (electronic dance music for us uninformed) to jam to.  HE LOVED his music – mosh pits, head banging and going to concerts as often as he could.  T.J. would often be seen jamming and dancing wherever he was to whatever of his many diverse playlists he had created.  His favorite band was Avenged Sevenfold.

TJ was a one-of-a-kind spirit!  He was a consummate “gamer” playing everything he could.  You’d often find him online as “Cipher Prodigy” looking for a team to get together in Smite, Apex or COD (Call of Duty for the out-of-touch folk), among many others.  He was a master MTG (Magic the Gathering card game, again, for us older folk) player and loved teaching others to play and compete in tournaments at Dragon’s Lair Comics when he could. 

T.J. also had a passion for the outdoors in many capacities from camping trips, snowboarding, golfing and jet-skiing.  He loved roller coasters and everything that was fast and pushed the envelope.  T.J. also enjoyed relaxing walks and took amazing pictures of nature and those around him for others to enjoy. 

He was often shy at first when getting to know people. T.J. went out of his way to make you feel comfortable if you were insecure about a situation even if he didn’t know you; he would seek to comfort you rather than be comforted himself.  T.J. cared about so many.

His sister, Shannon, writes: “T.J. was the one who taught us what unconditional love is because he gave it to everyone he knew.  He always had to be the one to say “I love you, bye” last so you left him feeling better. He loved bacon and eggies.  He loved Harry Potter and the idea that there is light and dark in all of us.  He was so curious about everything and everyone, all the time. Constantly trying to learn more about the world and the people in it, perhaps because he was always looking for his place.  He always made room for everyone in his heart and now he is here, in all of our hearts, because we love him.”

His sister Sarah says: “TJ was a one-of-a-kind soul.  He cared deeply for those he loved.  He had all the talent in the world.  He was intuitive, kind, sensitive and so much more.  He wanted to make life better for the people he cared about.  He was a fun-loving goofball and was as bright as they come, but never made you feel inferior.  He was the cutest kid and an even more beautiful man.  He shined as bright as the sun and shared that light with everyone he crossed paths with.”

His greatest joy was becoming a father in December 2020, helping Becca to bring beautiful Harper into this world.  He adored her and quickly became as doting a dad!  His legacy continues with her.

TJ will be forever missed and always in our hearts.  If you knew us, you knew him also because he became a part of us all.  FLY HIGH T.J.!!

The family will receive friends Friday, November 5^th from 5pm to 6pm followed by FUNERAL SERVICE at 6pm, all at West Center Chapel.  Light food immediately afterwards.  In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to the “T.J. Collins Memorial Fund” at any FNBO (1^st National Bank of Omaha) location for the direct benefit of Harper E. Collins.  For the TJ Collins Memorial Fund account, electronic payments can be sent via Venmo to: @TJCollinsMemorialFund.

To view a live broadcast of the Funeral Service, please go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button on the home page.