Pearl Peter Collins

Pearl was born in New Hampshire to Peter and Myrtle Pantelakos. She was the 3rd of 4 children, Pearl being the only daughter. She spent her early years on the family farm where she learned to love nature and animals. She talked often of the old horse, Blackie, who plowed the fields for her papa; and of her uncle taking her and her brothers to town for ice cream on hot summer days. She was a jump-rope expert, or so she believed, and would skip her way around to do her chores. She loved the Indian Summers out on the east coast with their beautiful red and yellow leaves and had many fond memories of her childhood there. But she always dreamed of moving to California where the weather was warm. After working her way through teachers college and getting her degree, and compelled by the famous song “California Here I Come”, she headed south and eventually landed in San Jose where she spent over 45 years.

For more than 30 of those years she taught elementary school in Morgan Hill, which she loved. Some of her students still remembered her years later and she was even invited to one of their weddings.

She married at a young age to Robert Collins Sr. and bore 2 children, Robert Jr., and Marla Dee. Later she married again to Harold Smith with whom she bore 1 daughter, Tia. Among them they have given her seven grandchildren.

She loved the simple things like long days at the beach or walks through the redwoods, and instilled a love of nature in her children. She was very fond of square dancing and even taught it to her granddaughter’s 2nd grade class, which was the highlight of their week. She was a noted story teller with the local Toastmasters and always enjoyed a good conversation with friends or strangers.

She reflected often the last months before her passing and said she had a full life, and though she had regrets she was at peace. She had many years of study in spiritual paths and as her time grew nearer she embraced a more traditional understanding of God’s love for her and she wanted her loved ones to know she is going home to be with God.