Clarence Dempsey Collins Jr.

Clarence Dempsey Collins Jr., 81, of Belmont, NC, passed away Thursday, June 9, 2022, at his residence.

He was born December 13, 1940, in Durham Co., Raleigh, NC, to the late Clarence Collins Sr., and Lucille Gibbs Davis.

Clarence was a Catawba River keeper, in 2002 he joined, organizing river sweep. He was a boat captain and helped with donations making over $75,000. He was also on the Board of Directors, where he met with government officials and with Duke Power about the ash pond, patrolling the lake, and looking for contractors not following the protocol. Clarence was also a Mechanical Contractor of commercial buildings; Alpha Mechanical 1970 – 1994. Projects such as, the Discovery Place, Missile to Mars, Charlotte Plaza (15 total high rises), dams all around North Carolina, and over 100 projects in the Charlotte area. He also took part in building the Panthers stadium, where he was vice president and ran guest services for 15 years. He was an avid scuba diver, enjoyed free diving and did competitions against Marines. Clarence also raced motorcycles, model airplanes and rode horses.

In addition to his parents, Clarence was preceded in death by his sister, Lillie Bolton.

Clarence is survived by his daughter, Karen Greco; son, Marc Wilson; grandchildren, Madelyn Greco, Gabriel Greco, Gwen Wilson, Tyler Wilson, Emily Wilson, Angel, and beloved partner Shirley Benjamin; and sister, Brenda Johnson.

A gathering of friends and family will take place 10:00 – 12:00 P.M, Saturday, June 11, 2022, at the South Chapel of Greene Funeral Service, 1503 S. York Rd., Gastonia, NC

Condolences can be made at www.greenefuneral.com