I still well-up at the words of family spokesman Tim Castle when he said former test players Neemia Tialata and Chris Masoe, along with their wives, had dropped everything to head to France to be at Baby Ayla's bedside.
"Hang on, little darling, your daddy's brothers are on the way," I thought.
It is true, if any former All Black was taken before his time that the out-pouring of tributes would be immense.
But when so many would focus on the impressive player statistics and career accomplishments, in the case of Collins it is clear the sport has lost one of its great characters.
Collins lived his life openly and without reserve - Porirua's Samoan boy knew who he was and where he was from - and always remembered those who were good to him.
Stood down to rest for key representative games? Sweet as, his North's club could put him in on Saturday, and a couple of his mates are busy in the morning on the garbage collection run - fancy one more helping hand?
Given the All Blacks' captaincy for a game in Argentina? Cool, let's take the time to learn some Spanish for the aftermatch function, the locals deserve that respect.
Free time after getting eliminated early at the 2007 World Cup?
Those Barnstaple fellas in Devon were real nice to invite him to do a coaching session with their kids, maybe he could turn out for their club second XV for a game?
And he had a Barbarians match upcoming so he'll wear their club socks as tribute.
"If you ever wanted to get the best out of him that was the way to do it; use his love for his mates and love for the game to go to greater heights," said All Black coach Steve Hansen, who was assistant coach for the majority of Collins' 48-test career.
"Whilst you knew how he felt he kept a lot of things to himself.
Jerry wasn't always perfect but he always put his hand up."
And that should be the quality remembered above any famous crunching tackle or his aggressive clean-out at the breakdown.
The Wellington lad with the blond top and the toothy grin did things his way, and the people who had him in their lives were the better for it.
Continuing with the melancholy nature of these last few days, this fan of professional wrestling would also like to acknowledge the passing of one of the greats.
The "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, a three-time world heavyweight champion and WWE Hall of Fame member, died on Thursday morning, US time, aged 69.
The rotund and charismatic Texan became a major star in Florida wrestling in the 1970s before being seen around the globe as a main event performer in Mid-Atlantic wrestling, later World Championship Wrestling, and later on the WWE in the 1980s.
He did not look like the typical athlete, but embraced the "working class man" persona and, as they say in the business, could "talk them into the building" with his amazing interviews.
Behind the scenes, Rhodes was a prominent promoter and producer of wrestling shows, with many of the concepts he created being a staple of big events to this day.
