COLUMBUS, Ga. - Albert Jackson Collins, 86, of Columbus, GA. passed away on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at St. Francis Hospital. Funeral services will be held 2PM, Saturday, June 20, 2009 at Vance-Brooks Funeral Home Chapel, 4048 Macon Rd., Columbus, GA. Mr. Collins will be buried at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, AL. The family will receive friends Friday, June 19, 2009 from 6 to 8 PM, at the funeral home. Mr. Collins was born May 22, 1923 in Bartow, FL. The only son of Mr. Bonnie and Marie Jackson Collins. He attended public schools in Bartow and graduated from GMC in Milledgeville, Georgia in 1942. He graduated from Auburn University in 1948 with degrees in Aeronautical and Industrial Engineering. He served during World War II with the Army Air Corp. as a pilot from 1942 to 1945. Upon graduating from Auburn, Mr. Collins was employed by the Toledo Scale Co. in 1949 as an Industrial Sales Representative. In 1951, he was named a district manager in Tampa, FL. In 1953, he was employed by the E.B. Malone Company (Spring Air Mattress) as General Manager of the Tampa Plant. In 1961, he was employed by Serta Mattress Company of Augusta, Georgia as VP, General Manager. In 1969, upon consolidation of the Augusta Plant, he joined Georgia Mattress of Savannah, Georgia as VP, General Manager and shortly after that, directed the acquisition of Ashville Bedding Co. (a Bemco Mattress group member). In 1975 the opportunity arose to acquire the Bemco Mattress franchise in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Collins with a partner opened Southeast Bedding and served as its President until 1981. In 1982, Mr. Collins joined Tyhanic Associates, Engineers/Consultants to the bedding industry. From 1985 he served as the President of Tyhanic and upon the death of Steve Tyhanic, he changed the name to International Bedding Center. Mr. Collins' daughter, Mary Lou McGregor, joined the firm and they developed a specialty quilting company. In 1993, International Bedding Services was incorporated, the management of IBC was assumed by his daughter and Mr. Collins retained IBS, the engineering and consulting firm. Mr. Collins served as a Boy Scout Leader ( as the 1950 Chairman of the C/A North Fulton District in Atlanta), served as a Zone Director National Association of Bedding Manufacturers 1958, President of Tampa Sales and Marketing Club 1960, National President Bemco Associates 1974-76, and was a 25 year Rotarian in Tampa, Augusta, Savannah and Columbus. He is survived by his devoted wife, Blanche Sellers Collins of Columbus, GA.; a daughter, Joyce Collins Lamb of Annapolis, MD.; two sons: A.J. Collins, Jr. of Seale, AL.; Raymond B. Collins of Columbus, GA; and daughter, Mary Lou Collins McGregor of Smiths, AL.; 11 Grandchildren and three Great Grandchildren. Vance-Brooks Funeral Home, 706-323-8152. Sign the guestbook at AugustaChronicle.com
The Augusta Chronicle-June 18, 2009
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