Patricia M. Finnegan Wiki, Age, Michael Collins Wife, Family, Kids, Net Worth, Cause of Death, Obituary

Patricia M. Finnegan Biography – Patricia M. Finnegan Wiki

Patricia M. Finnegan was the wife of Michael Collins, the late former NASA astronaut. She was an articulate writer who eloquently captured the behind-the-scenes concerns and challenges wives of astronauts faced during the Gemini and Apollo missions.

In 1969, before her husband set off on the first lunar landing mission, when he piloted the Apollo 11 command module orbiting above while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon’s surface below, she wrote him a poem that included the verse:

Take my silence, though intended;

Fill it with the joy you feel.

Take my courage, now pretended —

You, my love, will make it real.

Her mother, Julia Kendrigan, was the daughter of Irish immigrants. Her father, Joseph Finnegan, was the youngest of 10 born in County Mayo, Ireland, on a 10-acre plot where potatoes were the dominant crop. He immigrated to Massachusetts and went from hauling buckets of coal to serving in the state Senate. Three of Mrs. Collins’s younger brothers followed their father into government: John Finnegan became a state representative and state auditor, David Finnegan was a School Committee president and a two-time mayoral candidate, and Joe Finnegan was a deputy commissioner in the state Mental Health Department and vice chancellor of the state Education Department’s board of regents.

She was awarded scholarships to Mount St. Joseph Academy and to Emmanuel College, and was a social worker for the City of Boston until she landed a civilian military job in France. At the Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, she met Michael Collins, a US Air Force fighter pilot who also traced his ancestry to Ireland.

Michael Collins passed away on Apr 28, 2021, after a valiant battle with cancer. The following is a statement from the Collins family: “We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today, after a valiant battle with cancer. He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side. Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge, in the same way. We will miss him terribly. Yet we also know how lucky Mike felt to have lived the life he did. We will honor his wish for us to celebrate, not mourn, that life. Please join us in fondly and joyfully remembering his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both from looking back at Earth from the vantage of space and gazing across calm waters from the deck of his fishing boat.”

Collins served as command module pilot on Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969–the first lunar landing mission. He remained aboard the command module , “Columbia,” on station in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong , spacecraft commander, and Edwin Aldrin, lunar module pilot, descended to the lunar surface in their lunar module “Eagle.” Collins performed the final redocking maneuvers following a successful lunar orbit rendezvous which was initiated by Armstrong and Aldrin from within the “Eagle” after their ascent from the lunar surface. Among the accomplishments of the Apollo 11 mission were collection of lunar surface samples for return to earth, deployment of lunar surface experiments, and an extensive evaluation of the life supporting extravehicular mobility unit worn by astronauts.

Patricia M. Finnegan Age

Patricia M. Finnegan’s age at the time of her death was 83. She was born on July 5, 1930, in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. She died on April 9, 2014, in Marco, Collier County, Florida, aged 83.

Michael Collins Wife – Michael Collins Patricia M. Finnegan

Michael Collins was married to his wife Patricia M. (Finnegan) Collins from April 28, 1957, until her death on April 9, 2014. They married in 1957, in France. They had three children: Michael, Ann and Kathleen. In his memoir, Carrying the Fire, astronaut Michael Collins shares his experience following the death of his wife: “My life has changed with the death of my wife, Patricia Mary Finnegan Collins, after fifty-seven years of marriage. I miss her dearly and daily. My beautiful and competent daughters, Kate and Ann, help me fill the void.”

Patricia M. Finnegan Death

Patricia M. Finnegan passed away on April 9, 2014, in the Marina Bay skilled nursing center in Quincy. She was 83 and divided her time between Quincy and Marco Island, Fla. She was buried at the New Calvary Cemetery in Mattapan, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Patricia M. Finnegan Cause of Death

Patricia M. Finnegan died of complications of a stroke she suffered in September 2013.

Patricia M. Finnegan Children

Michael Collins and Patricia M. Finnegan had three grown children, two daughters; Kate Collins and Ann Starr, and one son, the late Michael L. Collins.

Patricia M. Finnegan Family

Patricia M. Finnegan was the daughter of Joseph Finnegan and Julia Mary Kendrigan Finnegan. She was the sister of Joseph Finnegan of Naples, FL, Eleanora Golden of Delray Beach, FL, Julie Matzel of Mashpee, John Finnegan of Naples, FL, Tom Finnegan of Dorchester, David Finnegan of Boston, Stephen Finnegan of Milton and the late Anne Finnegan. She was the grandmother of Matt, Jake, Jane, Julia, Luke, Katie and Tim.