Edward Vincent Collins, a resident of Poughkeepsie, New York for 40 years, passed away in his home with his son and his wife in Elizabethtown, Kentucky on May 16, 2016. He was 81. Eddie was born in Boston, MA on July 24, 1934 to the late Alice Donovan Collins and Edward Collins Sr. He is survived by his wife, Annie Galle Collins, whom he married in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1964. They were married for 52 years. Eddie is also survived by his three children Dennis, Amanda, and Kate, his nephew Jason, his sister-in-law Birte, his daughter-in-law Laura, his son-in-law Scott and his four grandchildren: Max, Emily, Simon, Lincoln, and Ethan. His brother Robert Collins passed away in 2008. Ed was proud to have served the U.S. Army in the 101st Airborne from 1956-1958. He entered the world of professional theatre and dance thereafter, and performed on Broadway and television in shows such as: West Side Story, Gypsy, I Can Get it For You Wholesale, the Jimmy Dean Show, and the Bell Telephone Hour. Trained in jazz, tap, and ballroom amongst other forms, Eddie was proud to have worked with the likes of Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins. He was also a student and occasional teacher for jazz technique innovator, Luigi Facciuto. Ed met his wife Annie after a performance in Bakken, near Klampenborg, Denmark while he was touring Europe with Dance Caravan. The two married at Copenhagen City Hall in 1964 and after the birth of their son Dennis, they came to the United States and soon opened the Galle and Collins Dance Academy that was first based in Red Oaks Mill and then in Wappinger Falls for a total of 38 years. Together they taught jazz, tap, ballet, gymnastics and ballroom to hundreds of children and adults from across Dutchess County and beyond. Ed also choreographed numerous musical theatre productions for area high schools including John Jay and Roy C. Ketcham. Over the years, many of Ed and Annie’s students went on to Broadway and professional dance. Always a showman, he is remembered as a husband, father, grandfather, friend, and teacher who loved nothing more than to tell a joke and put a smile on your face. If you have lived in Poughkeepsie and you remember a man who stopped you in the grocery store to ask if you knew the difference between zero and eight, only to have him exclaim, “because eight wears a belt!” – you probably met, the one and only, Eddie Collins. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, 2016 at St. James Catholic Church, 307 W. Dixie Avenue, Elizabethtown, KY with Rev. Martin Linebach officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes for donations to be made to Hosparus of Central Kentucky. Condolences may be expressed online at www.brownfuneral.com.

Visitation:

Service:

Saturday, June 4, 2016 starting at 11:00 AM
St. James Catholic Church