Joann Collins Obituary

JoAnn Whitley Collins passed away on January 13, 2026. She was born on July 7, 1932 in Fitzgerald, Georgia, the daughter of LeRoy Whitley and Annabelle Stephenson Whitley. She was the granddaughter of Judge James Whitley and Mattie Rebecca Royal Whitley of Ocilla, Georgia. She attended public school in Fitzgerald. She graduated with a degree in Interior Design from the University of Florida School of Architecture. She also studied design at the E' Cole d' Art in the Palace of Fontainebleau, France.

She was married for 50 years to the late Charles Joseph Collins, Jr., a seventh generation native Floridian and Orlando attorney. They made their home for 50 years in Winter Park, Florida. They loved the North Carolina mountains, especially old Lee's Inn, Highlands and High Hampton Inn. Trips to Cashiers, cruising big ships in Europe along with special times with daughters Jamie and Page at Brave and Gator games. There were many years of memories at their townhouse at New Smyrna Beach, Florida and neighborhood get-togethers. JoAnn was a member of the Junior League of Orlando, 50-year member of the Rosalind Club and First United Methodist Church. An avid tennis player, she played with a close group of friends for over 30 years at the Orlando Country Club. She was a most devoted GATOR fan. JoAnn took great interest in researching family history in her mother's native Alabama along with her south Georgia roots profiled in Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia books. Through her paternal grandfather, she was a direct descendant of four Mayflower passengers. She was a member of Kappa Delta sorority, Daughters of the American Revolution, National Colonial Dames of America and the Georgia chapter of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

When her husband, Charlie, died in 2012, she realized her wish to move to beautiful Madison, Georgia where daughter Jamie lived with her family. She became a member of the Morgan Madison Cultural Center, Historical Society, Landmarks and First United Methodist Church. Surviving are daughters, Jamie Tracy Miles (John) of Madison and Kimberly Page Ligon (Jeff) of Sarasota, Florida. She always told her daughters on their birthdays that it was a privilege to be their mother. Also surviving are five grandchildren and one great-grandchild, whom were the darlings of her heart. Jake (Olivia) and Maylin Grace, Hannah and Joe Miles in Madison. Kendall and Karson Ligon of Sarasota, Florida.

Internment at Green Lawn Cemetery, Orlando, Florida