William "Bill" Collins III

William R. “Bill” Collins III, affectionately known to many as Billy, passed away peacefully on November 20, 2025, in Naples, Florida, surrounded by his loving family and a devoted team of caregivers.

Bill was born on March 10, 1946, in Bemidji, Minnesota, to William and Marie (Newman) Collins. He grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, where he attended St. Anthony School and graduated from Shanley High School in 1964. It was there that he met Mary Pat Swanick, beginning a love story that would span more than six decades.

Bill and Mary Pat were married on June 15, 1968, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo. Together they shared 57 wonderful years of marriage, raising their two sons in Fargo before making their home in Edina, Minnesota. Their family created countless treasured memories during more than 53 summers at their home on Pelican Lake, while winters were happily spent in Naples, Florida.

After graduating from North Dakota State University, Bill joined William Collins & Sons, the highway construction company founded by his grandfather. Working alongside his father, uncles, and cousins, he helped build highways and dams throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. He often spoke with great pride and gratitude about those years, cherishing the opportunity to work in a family business built on hard work, integrity, and shared purpose.

An entrepreneur at heart, Bill founded National Minerals Corporation in 1978, and General Resource Technology in 1993. Throughout his career, he had the privilege of working first with his father and later with his two sons. He believed in hard work, determination, and taking thoughtful risks, but above all, he believed in people. Bill valued every employee and formed lasting friendships with those who worked beside him, especially the equipment operators and truck drivers whom he deeply respected and admired.

Bill cultivated lifelong friendships that began in childhood and continued throughout his life. In his forties, he discovered a passion for golf, enjoying not only the game itself but also the camaraderie it fostered. His warm smile, sparkling eyes, generous spirit, quick wit, and infectious sense of humor left a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to know him.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Marie Collins, and his sisters, Jeannie Weiler, Claudia Murphy, and Mary Ellen O’Toole.

He is lovingly remembered by his devoted wife of 57 years, Mary Pat; his sons, Rob and Travis; his daughter-in-law, Virginia; his cherished grandchildren, Katherine, Caroline, and William; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends whose lives were enriched by his kindness, generosity, and unwavering love.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Fair Hills Resort, 25270 County Highway 20, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Family and friends are warmly invited to gather to celebrate Bill’s life, share stories and treasured memories, and give thanks for a life lived with purpose, generosity, and love.

Bill’s interment will be held at Riverside Cemetery in Fargo at a later date.

A life well lived.
A heart well loved.
A legacy that lives on.