Paul William Collins

Paul William Collins, 74, passed away on August 20, 2025, at home in Clifton, VA, with his wife, Debbie, and sons, Chris and Keegan, by his side. Born to Kenneth and Pauline Collins on July 21, 1951, Paul was the fourth of eight children and grew up in Fargo, ND. He was shaped by his large, loving family and his many years of Catholic education. Paul attended Holy Spirit Elementary School and graduated from Shanley High School in 1969. He was an excellent student with a keen interest in math, science, and all things mechanical—earning him the nickname “gadget man.” Paul played football over the course of seven years and never played in a losing game—his teams helping Shanley establish one of the longest high school winning streaks in the nation. Most importantly, though, he formed friendships that endure to this day. Paul was involved in student council at Shanley, was elected Governor of North Dakota Boys State in 1968, and attended Boys Nation in Washington, DC. He remained active as a mentor and as the Dean of Counselors at Boys State through the 1970s. Paul was selected as the Outstanding Teenager of North Dakota for 1969.

Paul was a longtime member of the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and remaining in the program through college. He was one of 12 scouts selected to present the 1968 “Scouting Report to the Nation” to President Nixon in the Oval Office. He went on to serve on the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts. Paul never veered from the lessons learned in scouting; he remained trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, and brave throughout his life and career.

Following in the footsteps of his father and older brothers, Paul attended the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1973. He was elected to the leading engineering honor societies and was an active member of the Notre Dame Rugby Club. Paul remained in close contact with his best friends from college throughout his life. He and his friends from Notre Dame enjoyed annual get-togethers at football games.

After graduation, Paul returned to North Dakota, working at Collins Construction Corporation with his father and brothers, primarily on major highway construction projects in North Dakota and Montana. In 1977, Paul met the love of his life, Debbie Shaughnessy. They married in Fargo on November 29, 1980.

After several years in Michigan with Lonestar Industries, Paul and Debbie moved to the Washington, DC, area and established their home in Northern Virginia, where Paul began a long and successful career in the technology industry. In 1987, Paul joined BDS, Inc., a major supplier of computer equipment and technology support to the federal government, as their Chief Operating Officer. BDS merged with BTG in 1992, and Paul stayed on as an executive at BTG for several years.

Paul and Debbie took great pride and joy in the births of their sons, Christopher (b.1988) and Keegan (b. 1994). Paul was a den leader for both boys’ Cub Scouts packs and was conscripted as the treasurer of the “Drama Mamas” for Keegan’s high school theatre. Paul and his sons enjoyed skiing together, discussing politics and sports, and playing games with the family. Both Christopher and Keegan graduated from Notre Dame, and Paul shared a love of all things Fighting Irish with them.

In 1998, Paul and four close colleagues from BTG formed what eventually became Apptis, Inc., a company that provided high-end enterprise services to the federal government. He served as a top executive and Chairman of Apptis until 2003. Paul continued to maintain close friendships with his Apptis colleagues.

Paul then became the CEO and co-owner of Skyline Software Systems, a company that specialized in 3D visualization and modeling software in 2003. He served as the CEO of Skyline for the next 16 years and, working with a talented multinational team of executives and software engineers, built Skyline into one of the world’s leaders in geospatial modeling. In 2019, he stepped down as CEO and retired.

Beyond his career, Paul served on the board of Five Talents USA, and he and his family volunteered at the Lamb Center, a homeless resource center in Fairfax, VA. Paul and Debbie were also very active in their community and enjoyed entertaining guests at their homes. Among other events, they hosted Christmas parties, neighborhood and church gatherings, and parties for Christopher’s and Keegan’s friends.

Paul fought an unflinching, 8-year battle with prostate cancer and remains an inspiration to his family, friends, and caregivers. He continued to live a full and eventful life, visiting and hosting family and friends, as well as traveling extensively. In the weeks preceding his death, Paul called many of his closest friends to let them know how important they were to him. Paul and Debbie would like to thank his dedicated doctors, nurses, and countless medical personnel for the excellent care provided to Paul over the years.

Paul was a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, colleague, and friend. He was known to business associates as intelligent and principled. Paul was also well known for his sly sense of humor and dry wit, which he retained until the very end. He helped build and maintain a strong family bond that was formed through the Collins family’s biannual reunions, and he was a mentor and role model to his sons, nephews, and nieces. He loved cheering on Notre Dame football, traveling the world, and spending time at the family's home at Smith Mountain Lake—especially watching the sunset with Debbie.

Paul is survived by his wife, Debbie S. Collins, and his sons, Christopher Collins and Keegan Collins, Clifton, VA; brothers, Ken (Marci) Collins, Boulder, CO; and Pat (Teresita) Collins, Vero Beach, FL; sisters, Mary Johnson, Minnetonka, MN; Beth (Jim) Dutcher, Gillette, WY; and Katie Collins, Brooklyn, NY; his sisters-in-law, Gwen Collins, Plymouth, MN; and Linda Collins, Fargo, ND; brothers-in-law, Bob Shaughnessy, Cle Elum, WA; Greg (Jane) Shaughnessy, Long Lake, MN; and John (Pam) Shaughnessy, Spokane, WA; and sisters-in-law, Sue (Larry) Keene, Tacoma, WA; and Patty Shaughnessy, Spring Park, MN. Paul is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, great nephews, and great nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Pauline Collins; his brothers, Leo Collins and J. Michael Collins; his brother-in-law, Brian Johnson; his parents-in-law, Betty and Bud Shaughnessy; and sister-in-law, Mary Shaughnessy.

A wake will be held on Friday, September 12, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Trummer’s Restaurant, 7134 Main Street, Clifton, VA. Funeral mass on Saturday, September 13, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Clare of Assisi, 12409 Henderson Road, Clifton, VA. There will be a luncheon following the funeral at 1:00 p.m. at the Country Club of Fairfax, 5110 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA. Paul’s final resting place will be the Clifton Cemetery on Yates Ford Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Paul’s honor to Five Talents USA or the Prostate Cancer Foundation.