January 18, 2019
Turners Falls Resident Gives though Retirement Beneficiary Designation
When pancreatic cancer threatened the life of Turners Falls resident Harold "Bud" Collins, he took it in stride. At age 91, he had lived a full and good life. A WWII Navy veteran, Bud remained independent at home in Turners Falls, surrounded by his model car collection and doing his beloved crossword puzzles.
An annual donor to Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) since 1992, Bud appreciated the compassionate, skilled care he and his loved ones experienced. He had always wanted to give more but had worried about outliving his funds.
A Simple Way to Do More
When Bud received a Baystate Health Foundation mailing about giving opportunities, he realized he could make a difference without giving up any of his assets during his lifetime. With no children and with living family members well-provided for already, he appreciated the opportunity for his hard-earned savings to do good for a community he loved.
He decided to make BFMC the beneficiary of his retirement account.
Bud found the process very easy. After talking to a team member at Baystate Health Foundation, he contacted his IRA custodians, who sent him an IRA beneficiary designation form. Bud completed the form, naming Baystate Franklin Medical Center c/o Baystate Health Foundation as the primary beneficiary of the IRAs, and mailed the forms back.
While Bud left this world in 2018, his generosity carries on. The gift received from his retirement accounts was invested in the endowment for Baystate Franklin Medical Center, providing continuous support for patient care and critical needs.
In addition, Bud’s memory lives on in the halls of Baystate Franklin. Bud shared that he made his gift in loving memory of his wife Helen Collins and of his sweetheart of 26 years, Helen Stotz, whom he met after his wife passed away. He was so pleased that his gift could honor his Helens, with recognition plaques which hang on two adjacent patients’ rooms.
A Commitment to Others
When asked what he was most proud of in his life, Bud replied, "My Naval service." His World War II career took him to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He served aboard the USS Henry A. Wiley, destroyer minelayer, in the Pacific Theatre of Operation, attaining the rank of Radioman Second Class and received the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with Four Stars and World War II Victory Medal, along with other honors.
After the war, Bud returned home to graduate from Northampton Commercial College in accounting before moving to Washington, DC to work for the U.S. Government Printing Office from 1948 to 1955. He returned to his beloved Turners Falls and was employed as an auditor for accounting concerns. A member of the Turners Falls VFW and the Montague Elks, Bud retired from Hallmark Color Labs in 1988.
Rebecca Hamil, BSN, RN, Nurse Resident and one of the BFMC nurses who cared for Bud, remembers him as "the perfect gentleman."
"It would be just like Bud to give back. It was an honor to provide him care, and I am so glad that his name will now become a part of Baystate Franklin," shares Rebecca.
His brother, Jerry Collins of Arizona, says it well, "Bud was so thankful for the wonderful care he and his loved ones received. He wanted to give back to this community and help others."
Thanks for the love, Bud!
Want a simple, flexible way to make a difference? Join other community members who have made a beneficiary designation gift. Reach out to Kylie Johnson at at kylie.johnson@baystatehealth.org or 413-794-7789.