Mary Grace Collins

Born in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico on June 9, 1942
Departed on April 23, 2009. Resided in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Memorial

Mary Grace Collins, 67, of Cedar Rapids, died at her home, Thursday, April 23, 2009, following a yearlong courageous fight with cancer. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, April 27, 2009 at Saint Pius X Catholic Church, 4949 Council St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. Friends may call from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Sunday, April 26, 2009 at the Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, where a vigil service will take place at 4:00 PM. Per Grace’s wishes, the casket will remain closed at all times. Burial will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

Grace is survived and cherished by her husband, Roger; daughter, Melenie (Brian) Grimm and their newly born daughter Elena Graciela; son, Steve; and son, Jason, all of Cedar Rapids. She is also survived by her five sisters; Martha (Daniel) Escalante, Eugenia (Eduardo) Rodriguez, Olivia (Alfonso) Hernandez, Lucero (Moises) Munoz, Rocio (Arturo) Zacarias; her four brothers, Francisco (Betti) Cervantes, Luis Carlos (Mati) Cervantes, Jesus (Alejandra) Cervantes and Guillermo (Veronica) Cervantes. Her siblings live in Mexico, with the exception of her brother Francisco, who lives in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Grace was preceded in death by her parents, older brother, Gilberto Cervantes, and younger sister, Maria Auxilio.

Maria Graciela Cervantes was born, June 9th, 1942, in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, to Luis and Inez (Pena) Cervantes. She joined the Cordi Marian Sisters in 1956 and soon moved to San Antonio, Texas, to support the order’s missionary efforts. She became Mary Grace Cervantes as a U.S. naturalized citizen in 1970, moved to Iowa in 1972 to attend the University of Iowa. In her first year at Iowa, she meet Roger L Collins, a native Iowan, was engaged in 1973, and the Sacrament of Marriage was celebrated between her and Roger in Leon on June 9th, 1974. Grace graduated from the University of Iowa, College of Nursing, in 1975 with a BS degree in Nursing and went on to work for the University of Iowa Hospital as a staff nurse for almost five years. In 1980, Grace took a position as a staff nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital and soon transferred to the obstetrics floor. In 1994, she met the rigid requirements and demonstrated the special knowledge to be NCC certified as a maternal newborn nurse, RNC.

Grace truly loved patient care; especially the interaction with the families to provide care for newborn babies. She was cited numerous times by her managers, co-workers, and patients as she provided excellent care, often going beyond the usual duties to ensure the mom’s and baby’s new life together began well. She retired in 2007 after serving as a Registered Nurse for 33 years. She had worked long enough to become a grandmother in nursing many times over as the children she had helped start their lives were returning to have their own children.
The passions of Grace’s life were her family, friends, and the care of her patients. She was a loving and caring wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Her family raised her to be a devoted Catholic and she was a member of Saint Pius X Catholic Church for 30 years. She took great pleasure in sharing her abilities to cook, sew, and decorating of all types as part of the fellowship she shared with her family and many friends. Grace enjoyed the care of her backyard flower garden and potted plants. She loved the family cat, Kisses, and cared for several grand cats. She had the wonderful ability to tell long detailed stories to provide life lessons and instruction. Grace greatly enjoyed family travel to have new experiences, to go to new places, and to meet new people. She lived her life to enjoy every day, to face new experiences without fear, and to focus on what really matters in life.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Chirantan Gosh, the staff of the Cancer Care team at St. Luke's Hospital and the St. Luke's Hospice team for their exceptional care, compassion, guidance, and support. All of these health care professionals provided Grace and the family with extraordinary care.

If desired, memorials may be directed to St. Luke's Hospice or any charity of choice in lieu of flowers

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