Collette “Ada” Brown-Hollins was born on March 26, 1977, in San Diego, CA, at Paradise Valley Hospital to Myia Michelle Collins and Otis Brown, Jr. At three weeks old, Gary Wiley entered her life and became her stepfather.
Ada was named after her great grandmother, but she preferred to be called by her middle name. While she was still an infant, her Aunt Cocoa nicknamed her Nuni, a name that followed her into adulthood.
She was a happy, fun-loving little girl, and inquisitive about everything. She loved to play, jump, and spin. At the age of five, she wanted to join tumbling and gymnastics. She loved it. She would say, “Come on Mommy, let’s tuck in, troll.” Ada loved to play with her cousins. One of her oldest cousins, Corey, was into wrestling. He would use her as his partner to practice his full nelson on.
The family had started growing, and she had a little sister. Collette was so excited to meet her new baby sister Danielle when she was born. A little over a year later, her little brother Nathaniel was born. As he got older, he would challenge her, recruiting Danielle to double team her when they all played together. Danielle would say, “Slam her bay-bay,” (Nathan’s nickname) as they tried to bring Collette down to the floor to overpower her. She would catch them and lock them in the closet until they begged to come out. Julius, her second little brother born a few years later, was so special to her. They were all very close and shared a special bond.
Collette was a very creative woman from the time she was a small girl. She loved to paint and color pictures. She was really good at arts and crafts and would win first place awards for the best projects, which would be used in the school bazaars each month. Collette received her formal education in the San Diego school system. She excelled in her arts there and received numerous awards and certificates for her accomplishments.
Loving everyone, she was the kind of person to give you anything she could if it was going to help you. Collette had a very big heart and was about peace and love. She would always surprise her mother when she least expected it, just because. Collette started working for the Mercy House, where she helped lift the lives of others. She was always making things comfortable and festive, especially during the holidays.
Collette was called home with the Lord on October 14, 2023.
She is survived by her mother Myia Collins, her children; Nicollette Brown, James Kelly, Amari Kelly, and Cameron Kelly, siblings; Danielle Harvey, Nathaniel Harvey, and Julius Miller, aunts; Colleen, Debrah, Cynthia, Yvette, Rosemary, and Anco, a host of cousins; Anthiny Jr., Ante’, Chakeena, Christin, Clarence, Ebony, Brandon, Franchise, Chanel, and Victoria, and friends and family.
