Speaking at home, the 62-year-old director of Atlas Concrete spoke about the love story they shared since meeting nine years ago.
Rudyy-Collie came to New Zealand in 2003 to give her son Andrew, then aged 11, a "stable life" free of military service and a good education. Soon after, she and Collie were introduced at a barbecue by a mutual friend, he said, and hit it off. "She joked and laughed and she was a fun person but she could be serious too when she needed to be," Collie said.
Friendship later developed into romance and two years after they met, he and the Inland Revenue accountant married in a lawyer's office, before celebrating with champagne.
"She realised it was better here than there and one day she finally admitted it and said she wouldn't live anywhere else."
A week ago, on the morning of his wife's accident, Collie left for work in the morning saying to her "goodbye, see you later".
The pair were meant to be going to a friend's 50th birthday party that night.
But after Collie returned from work, Sashka arrived home alone. Collie knew something was wrong. He and son Andrew split up to search the beach where she walked.
They later discovered Rudyy-Collie had been struck by rocks that had fallen 50m from the cliff overlooking the beach path. She had died almost instantly from head injuries.
A tribute of pink carnations has now been placed at the entrance to Rothesay Bay under a sign warning walkers of the danger from falling rocks.
Additional warning signs have now been placed at beach entrances.
In a report to Auckland Council, engineers said there was an ongoing risk to the safety of beachgoers, but work to secure cliffs would be expensive and difficult.
At the funeral service, a tearful James Collie described his stepmother as strong, focused, determined and generous.
His heart "bleeds" for his father , who was grieving for his wife, he said.
"I wanted to thank you for putting a smile on my dad's face for the last nine years," James Collie said. "You have lit up his life and softened his heart."
