Gwendolyn Westberry Collins

Gwendolyn Westberry Collins, 85, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 17, 2020, at Bethea Retirement Community. A resident of Florence, South Carolina, for over fifty years, Gwen was born on June 10, 1934, in Jesup, Georgia, to the late Hilda Durden and W. Bryant Westberry. Gwen was a bank teller, a preschool teacher, and a realtor in Florence for over thirty years. During her successful career as a realtor, Gwen was a broker with Griggs-Floyd & Grantham. She was active with the Florence Board of Realtors, having served a term as its director. She also served a term as a director on the South Carolina Board of Realtors. In 1996, Gwen was named Realtor of the Year by the Florence Board of Realtors. She was an active member of Calvary Baptist Church in Florence, where she taught Sunday School, was a member of the WMU, and served on the hospitality committee, always taking her much-loved macaroni and cheese to every event. In addition to her parents, Gwen was preceded in death by three brothers, Bryant L. Westberry, Wendell G. Westberry, and W. Donald Westberry, and a sister, Brenda Westberry Phillips. Survivors include her loving husband of sixty-three years, Ben E. Collins and son, Gregory B. Collins, both of Florence, SC; her daughter, Cynthia Collins Sherer and her husband, Chip; granddaughter, Emma Sherer; and grandson, Joseph Sherer, all of Flat Rock, NC; and siblings, Grace Smith of St. Marys, GA; Wyman Westberry of St. Marys, GA; Elizabeth Meehan (Terry) of San Jose, CA; Hilda Faye Westberry (Sam Rooks) of Jacksonville, FL; and Beverly Leaphart of Jesup and Shellman Bluff, GA, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of extended family members. A drive-thru visitation will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2020, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home, 2402 South Irby Street, Florence, SC. A graveside funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 22, 2020 at Mount Hope Cemetery, 100 Cherokee Road, Florence, SC. Family and friends are welcome to join us for the graveside service. Social distancing will be respected. The service will also be live-streamed on www.calvarycares.com. Remembrances may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 915 Cherokee Road, Florence, SC 29501. Please sign the tribute wall for the family at www.stoudenmiredowling.com.