Mr. Joseph Lewis Collins, Sr., departed this life on November 21, 2025, in Statesboro, Georgia. He was born on June 5, 1937 in Screven County Georgia. He was the son of Sallie Gantt and Thomas Lewis, both deceased.
- Raised in Bradenton, Florida and Bridgeton, New Jersey; educated and graduated from the M.O.T.A Center for Auto Repair (1967).
- Entrepreneurial life in Newark, New Jersey: owned an auto repair shop and TEL Transportation; retired to Sylvania, Georgia.
- Beloved family man: survived by wife Geraldine, children Joseph Jr., Orlando, Cassandra, and six grandchildren.
At the age of one, his mother moved them both to Bradenton, Florida until Joseph reached the age of nine years old. The family then moved to Bridgeton, New Jersey where he continued his primary and secondary education. Joseph later attended and graduated from the M.O.T.A Center for Auto Repair in 1967 (Camden, New Jersey). While living in South Jersey, Joe (as he is affectionally known) and his mother attended the Second Pilgrim Baptist Church of Cedarville, New Jersey, but as Joe became of age, he joined the St. Phillips Baptist Church of Bridgeton, New Jersey.
In 1970, Joseph relocated to Newark, New Jersey, where he met and fell in love with his precious Geraldine. While Living in the city of Newark, Joe did not forget his mother’s teachings and attended several churches before joining the New Hope Baptist Church. Joseph thrived in entrepreneurship by opening is own repair shop on Washington Street, as well as a trucking company, TEL Transportation, all in the city of Newark, New Jersey. One of Joe’s favorite past times was bowling. Joe was such an avid bowler that he taught all of his immediate family and several of his in-laws, coworkers, and employees how to bowl and many are semi-pro bowlers to this day. In the year 2000 A.D., Joseph decided to retire from his businesses that he started and returned to the area of his birth, Sylvania, Georgia, Screven County.
Joseph leaves to mourn the passing of his beloved, Geraldine, and is survived by two sons, Joseph Jr. (Melissa) and Orlando, daughter, Cassandra, and six grandchildren, Najla, A’ja, Aiyana (deceased), Jaheim, Orlando Jr. and Jahmid. He has a host of nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.
Joseph was preceded in death by one brother, Eddie (Evonne) Cannon, one sister, Barbara (Charles) Thomas.
