DIANNE COLLINS KING

AGE 82. BARTLETT, TN.

Dorothy Dianne Collins King, who went by the name of Dianne, died at her home in Bartlett, Tennessee, on January 2, 2026. Born in Mason Hall, Tennessee, on July 3, 1943, to Eula Coleman Collins and George Waymon “Buster” Collins, Sr., she leaves behind her devoted husband, Bobby Harrison King, her beloved daughter, Christi Cherie Carey Patton (Julie Patton), of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and two adored grandchildren, Emily Claire Patton and Michael Alexander Patton (Nikki Patton), also of Gatlinburg, as well as a brother, Kenny Kayle Collins, and a nephew, George Michael Collins (Bidisha Banerjee), all of Oakland, California. Her other daughter, Tish Elynn Carey, died in 1987, and her half-brother, George Waymon Collins, Jr., in 2010. Although Bartlett was her primary residence, some of her happiest days were spent with her husband at their island home in Perdido Key, Florida.

After graduating from Mason Hall School, Dianne earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee Martin and a Master’s degree in biology from the University of Memphis. She spent her professional career teaching science in high school and college and developing and supervising healthcare programs, with emphasis on respiratory therapy and basic nursing, for Memphis City Schools, the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Home-Bound Medical Care. In both her professional life and her personal life, Dianne was known and loved for her generosity of spirit, her dedication to her students, and her selfless care for the comfort of others.

Graveside services will be at New Salem Baptist Church in Mason Hall on Saturday, January 10, at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis would be appreciated.