Maureen Collins Mindell passed away on the morning of August 22, 2023, surrounded by family, following a courageous three-year battle with cancer.
Maureen was born on March 18, 1940, in Berkeley, Calif., the first of three children born to Florence Breiding and Jack Collins. Florence was born in Happy Camp, Calif., and Jack in Pasadena. They met as students at University of California, Berkeley in the 1930s. Jack worked as an executive for the Del Monte corporation, and Maureen had many fond memories of their time as a family in far-off locations, particularly time spent in South Africa in the early 1960s.
Maureen attended public schools in Walnut Grove, Martinez and Santa Rosa, Calif. She completed nursing school at St. Francis in San Francisco in 1960. Following graduation, she worked at San Francisco General Hospital. In 1961 she spotted a handsome young medical resident who, in her words, was “wandering around the emergency room with a pair of surgical scissors, looking lost.” It was Howard Mindell from Chicago. They were married in December 1966 at Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
After a brief stint living in New York City, on the advice of a friend and former radiology resident, Howard accepted a job at the University of Vermont Medical Center as a radiologist. They moved first to Burlington, eventually settling in Shelburne, where they spent 35 years together raising a family and putting down roots, both literally and figuratively. Maureen created a home and garden that is hard to top in all of Chittenden County. Her happy place was working in the garden. Up until the end, Maureen was out in the yard gardening, listening to classical music on her headphones.
Maureen went back to school in her forties and earned a bachelor of science degree at UVM. She spent many years working as a nurse in the operating room and ER and also worked as part of the employee health team at UVM Medical Center. She enjoyed running during this period and completed several marathons. She volunteered extensively in the community, at the Ronald McDonald House, COTS and the sisterhood at Temple Sinai. She also volunteered at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine, where her youngest son, Michael, graduated. In her later years, she was active with Dragonheart Vermont and enjoyed being out on the water as part of the sisterhood of rowers, many of them cancer survivors.
Maureen was deeply shaped and affected by the early deaths of both her mother, Florence, who passed away from multiple myeloma at the young age of 52, and her brother Navy Lt. Michael Collins, who died in Vietnam at age 28. Both deaths occurred within a year of each other, but Maureen carried on with courage and grace, raising her family in Vermont and being a stellar and supportive daughter and sister to her family in California.
Maureen was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Howard Mindell; her parents and brother; and her beloved son Michael Mindell. She is survived by her daughter, Ann Mindell, son-in-law Sean Toohey, and granddaughter Ariel Toohey of Shelburne; her son Paul Mindell and grandchildren Boaz and Ayla Mindell of Pasadena, Calif.; her grandson Lucas Herrera-Mindell of New York City; her brother Raymond Collins of Eureka, Calif.; and her stepmother, Meghan Collins, and her children, Betsy, Laura and Peter, all of California. Maureen hailed from a large extended California family and is survived by many cousins. She made countless trips to California over the years to see family and friends and experienced many happy times in the Bay Area, where she and Howard met and forged their future together.
The family would like to thank her excellent caregivers at the UVM Medical Center, with special thanks to family friend Dr. Kristin Holm and current radiology chair Dr. Kristen DeStiger for their support and guidance, particularly at the outset of her diagnosis. The family thanks the excellent staff and nurses at McLure Miller Respite House in Colchester, who cared for Maureen with dignity and grace during her final days. Finally, sincerest thanks to the many family members and friends who stood with her and were present during this difficult time.
A service will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023, 11 a.m., at Temple Sinai in South Burlington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Vermont Youth Orchestra.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2023.