RAY G. COLLINS, III

05/14/1940 - 08/30/2023

RAY G. COLLINS, III passed away August 30, 2023 in Houston, Texas. He was born May 14, 1940 in Dallas, Texas, the son of R. G. Collins, Jr. and Mary Jane Herron Collins. The family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1948 and Ray became forever an Oklahoma Sooner. He graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1958. Ray graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1962 with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. While at O.U., he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and played varsity baseball. He also graduated with Honors as an AFROTC Cadet receiving his Lieutenants’ Commission. He was employed by Humble Oil and Refining Company in the production Department upon graduation. This employment was interrupted by his three years of service in the USAF where he worked at the Air Force Rocket Research facility at Edwards AFB, California until 1965. After leaving the Air Force he returned to work at Humble (now ExxonMobil) in the Oklahoma Division Office in Oklahoma City. In 1971, he began an overseas assignment for Exxon, working as a Drilling Engineer for International Petroleum of Columbia while living in Bucaramanga and Bogotá, Columbia, where he later became Manager of Planning and Engineering in the Production department. In 1978, he transferred to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as

a technical advisor for Esso Prospeccao Limitada, the Exxon exploration affiliate exploring offshore Brazil. In 1983 he was transferred to Coral Gables, Florida as Planning and Engineering advisor for Esso Inter-America Inc. In 1984 he was again transferred, this time to Houston, Texas as Technical Advisor at Headquarters, Exxon Company, USA, in Drilling and Production Engineering. Ray held various Engineering Advisory jobs for Exxon USA until his retirement in 1995.

Ray is survived by his loving wife Elizabeth R. Collins, son Raymond Scott Collins, daughter Brandeigh Elizabeth Smalley, grandson William Tyler Smalley, and his stepchildren Claudia Mathes, Laura Wallace, Elisa Schulter, Maura Phelan and Thomas J. Phelan.

He will be buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Tulsa, Oklahoma with a family graveside service. A memorial service will be held on September 16 at 10:30 am at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 19222 TX-249, Houston, TX 77070. In lieu of flowers, Ray has requested that a donation be made to the Ray Collins Engineering Scholarship Fund [Fund #41159] at the University of Oklahoma Foundation, P.O. Box 258856, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856 or to a local Alzheimer’s Association. Moore’s Southlawn 918-6632233 share memories at www. moorefuneal.com