Mrs. Frances Collins Strouse

Mrs. Strouse was a graduate of North Fulton High School in Atlanta. She was a graduate of Georgia State College for Women, for which she received a full scholarship. She also received a Master’s Degree from Emory University. Following graduation, she worked at Emory University, where she was part of the first heart catheterization team in the United States. Mrs. Strouse was Director of the Cardio-Pulmonary Laboratory at Greenville General Hospital in Greenville, SC; Director of Marketing Research and Product Development for the Kendall Corp.; and sold real estate for many years in the greater Charlotte area, where she was a consistent million dollar producer. She was a member of the American Chemical Society, the Charlotte Board of Realtors, and ZONTA International, where she held several leadership positions. In 1988 she was the Charlotte Woman of The Year. She was also a patron of the Matthews Library. Mrs. Strouse was a member of Matthews Presbyterian Church, the Bible Study Fellowship, and started the Courtney Lane Bible Study Group.

Mrs. Strouse was preceded in death by her husbands, Rufus Calhoun Collins, Jr. and Tomlin L. Strouse, and son, Rufus Calhoun Collins, III. She is survived by her daughter, Dana M. Collins of Danville, CA and Matthews, NC; sons, Donald E. Collins of Charlotte, NC, David M. Collins and wife Olivia of Livingston, AL, and Douglas N. Collins and wife Phyllis of Greenwood, SC; grandchildren, Carolyn Thompson, Douglas Brent Collins, and Sidney Collins; and brother, Donald E. Johnson and wife Jan of Atlanta, GA.

A funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 11, 2012 in the chapel of Harry & Bryant Company, 500 Providence Rd., Charlotte, with the Rev. Bill Pederson officiating. Graveside services will be held 3:00 p.m. Saturday in the chapel of Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, SC.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Friday evening at Harry & Bryant.

Those who wish may make memorial contributions to University Advancement, ZONTA Scholarship Fund at UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223.