Edith McMahon Collins

Bend, Oregon, the second child of Robert Henderson McMahon and Ora Temperance Brumbaugh McMahon.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Robert Collins, her parents, her older sister Anna McMahon Wade and her younger brother, Robert (Bobby) McMahon.

Edith grew up in a country farm setting around White Salmon, Washington; attended the country grade school (sometimes on horseback & always watching out for bears in the forest!); attended high school in White Salmon where she stayed with her married sister Anna during the week and going home on weekends. Her stories of growing up included family times with her dad & uncles making homebrew – days of prohibition – and following that with country dances where they all provided the music on fiddles, banjoes, guitars, and her dad even played a button accordion! None of these musicians ever had music lessons but could ‘fiddle’ with the best of them!

Edith met William (Bill) while attending high school and married on July 22, 1935, the summer after her junior year. She returned to high school two years later and graduated with honors in bookkeeping and motherhood to a near-year-old baby boy – unusual for that time and age. Three daughters joined the family within the next five years.

During that time they were invited by a nephew to attend a small full-gospel church that was having a Sunday School attendance contest for the children. Edith and Bill committed their lives to the Lord and a few years later accepted a call to the ministry, including attending a Bible School in Kansas City, MO, before moving to Wisconsin to begin the years of pastoring churches. Her musical family was preparation for Edith to help Bill in his ministry as she had an accordion and could read the treble staff to play it, also learning to be proficient on the piano, chording with the left hand. That accordion could and would go to many places that couldn’t accommodate a piano! She could lead the singing in church and sometimes sang a favorite song called “Two Robes Before Me” which illustrated taking off the old robe of sin and putting on the new robe of a Christ follower.

Mother was a Proverbs woman: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. She loved the Lord and taught us, along with dad, how to love the Lord. We had daily family devotions with Bible reading and prayers. I remember one summer in Prairie du Chien, WI, 4th Ward, when we four kids were trying her patience with our arguing so much that she knelt us all down at the couch to repent of our behavior…and she said we were much better after that! As the Proverbs 31 woman provided for her family with food and fine clothing, so Mother provided her girls with clothing she learned to sew. Material was stretched for three dresses. but many times the 3rd dress for the youngest was a little bit different, knowing that she would inherit the other dresses her sisters outgrew. Then the summer we lived on N Main St, mother taught us to sew using her Singer Sewing Machine, learning to piece a quilt top and eventually our own clothing. That was an encouragement to be creative!

Music was very important to Mother. We girls gravitated to the piano when Mother would play. As we would sing along, we eventually learned to do parts in harmony, and, as teenagers, we were good enough to be asked to sing at Camp Meeting!

Mother was always a compliment to Dad’s ministry through the years by teaching Sunday School, working with Women’s ministry, and traveling with him. She was faithful with her attendance every time the church doors were open. She even preached one sermon called “Seven Ducks in Muddy Water”,

an illustrated sermon of ll Kings 5 with Elisha the prophet and Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, who was a leper. That was a fun sermon.

Edith is survived by her four children: Terry Collins (Myrlee), Darlene Martin, Nina Rosenau (Herman), Charlene Cheyne (Bill), 18 grandchildren, numerous great-grands, a few great-great-grands, one great great great grandson, and sister-in-law, Nora McMahon of White Salmon, WA.

From Deborah Hinshaw (Darlene's Daughter):

My Grandma loved Jesus and served Him for many years. She was faithful to Him. She gave what she had to Him - playing the organ or piano at church - standing by her husband in difficult times - raising her 4 children(one being my mom) to love Jesus and serve Him. I thank God for her devotion to God.

Whenever I visited, Grandma allowed me to play her piano and organ (most of her grandkids weren’t allowed to touch them!) We shared the love of playing and she always encouraged me to play at church.

Early this morning, my Grandma (Edith Collins) went home to be with Jesus. She is seeing Him face to face and hearing Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

As my mom and her siblings knew the end was near, my Aunt shared this scripture that God gave her …

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ESV

We know Father God - in her last hours and days on earth - was singing over her.

We will miss you Grandma!