John G. “Jack” Collins, 89, devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away May 4, 2026, surrounded by loved ones at home. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Patricia A. Collins, and his brother Joseph Collins.
Jack is survived by his beloved children: Daniel and his wife Robin and three children, Erin D’Alba (Tom), Christian and Robert; Maureen and her husband John Dougherty and two daughters, Megan and Katelyn; Kevin and his wife Michele and two children, Ava and George; and Paul and his wife Meredith and four children, Finn, Maeve, Eamon and Nora. Jack is also survived by his great-grandson Leo D’Alba; sister Rosemary Kegler (Jack); sister-in-law Kathleen Sexton; loving companion Kathleen Norton; and many nieces and nephews.
Jack was born Nov. 21, 1936, to Mary and John Gerald Collins in Jersey City and graduated from Henry Snyder High School. He earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City and his MBA from Rutgers University.
Jack began his career at The Prudential Insurance Company of America and quickly transitioned to KPMG’s Financial Consulting Group. He later joined The Commercial Trust Company of New Jersey as controller, ultimately becoming president and CEO. He was named vice chairman and elected to the board of directors at UJB Financial Corporation (later Summit Bancorp) following its acquisition of The Commercial Trust Company. FleetBoston’s acquisition of Summit Bancorp allowed Jack to serve in the role of president of its New Jersey franchise until his retirement. Following his retirement, Jack was elected to the board of directors of Provident Financial Services, Inc. and The Provident Bank.
Jack was a proud St. Peter’s College Peacock. As an alumnus, he served on the board of regents, board of trustees and was elected chairman of the board. St. Peter’s awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award and bestowed an Honorary Degree during their 1997 commencement exercises. Jack’s connection to, and love for, St. Peter’s ran deep.
Additional chairmanships included the New Jersey Bankers Association, Independent College Fund of New Jersey, National Conference for Community Justice – New Jersey Region, as well as a board member position with Collier Services, Inc.
Jack met the love of his life, Patricia, at a college event and they married in 1961 at St. Aloysius Church in Jersey City. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Monmouth County and became longtime residents of Matawan and Colts Neck before moving to Shrewsbury. During their children’s younger years, Jack coached Little League Baseball and served as president of the Matawan Borough Little League.
As the children grew older, so grew Jack’s love for the game of golf. Jack was a golfing member at Navesink Country Club and enjoyed multiple trips to Ireland and Scotland to test his game. He especially enjoyed opportunities to gather with family and close friends on the golf course. His love of the game was infectious.
He enjoyed traveling with family and friends and spent many summers at the family home in Ocean City. Jack will be deeply missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing and loving him.
Visitation was held May 13 at John E. Day Funeral Home, Red Bank. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The American Lung Association at lung.org or Cure PSP at psp.org.
The article originally appeared in the May 14 – 20, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
