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A Midlands, South Carolina community is mourning the death of a beloved school official who passed away unexpectedly in a car crash earlier this week.
Victor V. Collins Sr. – a campus monitor at Crayton Middle School in Forest Acres, S.C – perished in a car crash this Tuesday (December 3, 2024) on Interstate 20 near Broad River Road just northwest of Columbia, S.C.
“Mr. Collins” – who had plans to retire at the end of the current school year – was universally admired by students, parents, teachers and administrators alike.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved colleague, Mr. Collins, whose warmth, kindness, and care touched everyone he met,” a statement from the school read. “He was a shining light at our school, brightening our community each day. We are incredibly proud of how the Crayton faculty, students, and community have come together to honor him, reflecting the way he lived — with compassion, understanding, and love. Mr. Collins will be deeply missed, but his legacy of kindness will continue to inspire us and live on through the countless lives he profoundly impacted.”
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Tributes to Collins poured into the school’s Facebook page, with parents touting his “smile and encouraging words,” his “warmth and compassion” and his commitment to “loving all of our children as his own.”
“He knew all the kids’ names and always had a smile on his face,” one parent wrote.
“Mr. Collins was the heartbeat of Crayton Middle school with his kindness towards others, his contagious smile and the way he connected with each student,” another parent added. “He was always there cheering the kids on as they stepped out of the car and into the halls of Crayton.”
“Mr. Collins was a gem of a man,” yet another wrote. “He will be terribly missed. He never failed to smile warmly and he never knew a stranger. I pray his family finds comfort in knowing how much impact he made on the lives of so many.”
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Numerous parents discussed the impact Collins’ passing had on their children – who fashioned several tributes to their late friend this week to celebrate his impact on their lives.
“My daughter talked very highly of him, his kindness and how happy he always was to greet the kids and their parents,” one wrote.
“His passing has had such a profound impact on my children,” another wrote. “Shows what an amazing, loving man he was. He was a positive, caring influence in the everyday lives of not only the students but the staff and parents as well.”
“Such a good man, you could tell he loved what he did and cared about these children,” another wrote.
Collins’ impact wasn’t limited to current students, either.
“There are college students crying over his death,” a source familiar with the story told us.
A public viewing for Collins will be held at Bostick-Tompkins funeral home (2930 Colonial Drive) this coming Sunday (December 8, 2024) from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST. Funeral services will be held the following day – Monday December 9, 2024 – at 1:00 p.m. EDT at the same location, with an interment held thereafter at Piney Grove Community Cemetery (433 Piney Grove Road).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
I’m a student at cms, last year i was in sixth grade and quickly became friends with Mr. Collins. closer to the end of that school year he started giving me the newspaper comics from that day’s issue. That carried into 7th grade (this year), Madame Varner told me that Mr. Collins was always finding ways to be in the elective hallway when my grade was there, he would usually atop by my orchestra e2 and drop off the comics there. I remember of December 4th, the morning announcements said something along the lines of, “STAR testing has been cancelled for the day, I repeat, STAR testing has been cancelled for the day.” around an hour after the morning announcements, the ‘beep’ of the P.A system sounded, we all expected some sort of drill, but when Dr. Brewington started speaking i heard the smallest shake in his voice, like he was trying to find the right words to say. “we are sad to announce” there was another pause “Mr. Collins passed away last night in a fatal car crash.” The word “fatal” rang in my head as i began to cry, so did everyone else, i thought of how the last thing i said to Mr. Collins was, “see you tomorrow, and thanks for the comics!” he said back, “i have a stack of comics in my office that i can get to you tomorrow!”. At the end of the class period and everyone was switching classes, there was no usual noise coming from all directions, everyone just had their heads down, almost every eye red from crying. Recess was strange, unlike normal, nobody was playing football, or hanging out by the radiator, just at the tables talking, coping. Some people coped with jokes, others silent, and some sharing their stories about Mr. Collins. It was the only thing that ever truly unified the school, our sadness. I saved every comic he ever gave me, i put them in the shelf of one of my drawers, and on top of my room desk, i keep the ornament we were given that reminds me of Mr. Collins’ every day when i sit down to do my homework or procrastinate, before i start, i always read what he always told me, “I’ll Always Have Your Back.”