On Monday, December 6, 2021 Ronald Dee Rice (93) passed away at The Craig in Amarillo, Texas after several months of illness. He was born May 10, 1928 to James Earl Rice, Sr. and Willie Marie (Strange) Rice of Pampa in Gray County, Texas. He graduated from Pampa High School in 1947. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a Major in Mathematics from Texas Tech in Lubbock and graduated in 1951. He then served in the U. S. Navy from 1951 to 1955 and was on ships in Japan and Korea during that time. While in Japan he wrote to the Texas Tech placement agency regarding teaching positions anywhere near Amarillo. They replied that a teacher in Pampa had died from a wasp sting. He accepted the position. Ronald, or Ron as he was called (He said recently, “just remember railroad RR Ron Rice”), became a Math teacher at Pampa High School where he taught several generations of young people from 1955 to 1976, and even tutored some at his home, who claim they would not have made it through college Algebra without his help. He belonged to a group of fellow teachers who called themselves The Nasty Nine, and they had a reunion in Pampa in June of 1996. (The family is unsure of the origin of the name, but has heard that they played ornery pranks like smoking cigars in the Teachers Lounge, which was not allowed. The nine of them also went together on a skiing trip to New Mexico and got snowed in so called the ISD on a Monday to tell them 9 substitute teachers would be required!) He substitute taught in elementary schools in Amarillo and Canyon into his 80s. Ronald never married or had children, but his nieces and nephews were his “kids”, who remember him shopping for their gifts on Christmas Eve and having them wrap them before Santa arrived. He was devoted to his mother Marie and his only sister Idelle and lived at home at 712 N. Somerville until his mother died in 1996, at which time he moved to Amarillo. He lived with his cousin Billie Nell and her husband John Story for several years and then moved to The Coachlight Plaza Apartments on McCarty, managed by Susan Webb. After almost 20 years there, Ronald considered Susan and her husband David good friends. Her Assistant Orlando Ochoa was also a great help to him. Having been an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pampa most of his adult life, he transferred his membership to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Amarillo and joined their Chancel Choir where he was well liked and made new friends. Luanne Graham, Betty Jones, Art Lara and Carole Thorn to name a few, who have been wonderful about taking him places when he could no longer drive this past Spring, and visiting him in the hospitals and The Craig recently.
Ron loved to drive and made many trips with his teacher friends over the years and also acted as chauffeur to Eugene C. Sidwell and his wife Pauline (Polly), driving them all over the country from 1979 to 1990. He spent numerous Christmases with his brother Dawrence and his large family in California and drove it each way in 2 days. He did finally accept a plane ticket from his nephew Duce and flew there for Christmas in 2018 and 2019. He loved horses and going to the horse races in Raton and Ruidoso, NM. He enjoyed photography, geneology with his niece Karol, reading, working Sudoku puzzles, baking desserts and his famous yeast rolls, and delicious “melt-in-your-mouth” divinity at Christmas. He would drive out in the country around Amarillo to pick plums and put up jars of red plum jelly. He spent hours looking at the hundreds of slides he took, family scrapbooks and photos, his college annuals, his Pampa Harvester Yearbooks from 1943 to 1976, which have been donated to the Pampa Museum, and newspaper articles he cut out over 2 decades. He only watched TV in the evenings, and his favorite show was Murder She Wrote with Angela Lansbury. He got really upset with Hallmark when they would replace her in July with their Christmas in July movies. His favorite films were Good Will Hunting and Pretty Woman, as well as Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde, which he watched whenever they were shown. His cousin by marriage and companion was Lorene McCarty who lived near his apartment. He enjoyed her company immensely and driving her wherever they went. They read the same books, attended the symphony and musical events together and cooked out hamburgers at her home for his birthday on many occasions. His favorite birthday spot was at the Palo Duro Canyon when weather allowed. Lorene also opened her home to his family when they came to visit, and wonderful memories were made there. Her daughter Marilyn and husband Don Johnson continued to include Ron in their family gatherings since her mother’s passing in 2016. They hosted his niece Janice and her husband Kevin for a week in August when Ronald suffered a terrible fall in the street outside his apartment and had to be hospitalized. He recovered from the fall, but continued to decline, going back into the hospital in October and then to The Craig. Once again, Marilyn and Don opened their home so Janice could travel to Amarillo to act on the family’s behalf in his care. They helped Ronald and Janice in numerous ways during these past few challenging months demonstrating true Christian love.
Ronald was preceded in death by his parents, brother James Earl Rice, Jr. and wife Betty Ruth (Wooldridge), sister Idelle Marie and husband Earl Maddox, brother Charles Hoyt Rice, niece Sherry Louise Martin, and nephews Thomas Stewart and John Lloyd Rice and Frank Maddox. He is survived by his brother Dawrence Wayne Rice and wife Joyce of Porterville, CA; sister-in-law Kathi Rice of Seattle, WA; nieces Janice Thompson-Harnett and husband Kevin Harnett of Lago Vista, TX; Karol Rice of Seaside, OR; Elizabeth (Beth) Guthrie and husband Tim of San Antonio, TX; nephews DeWayne Maddox and wife Sue; Duce Rice, Tim Rice and wife Marilyn; Ronny Rice and wife Tammy; David Rice and wife Tina, all of CA; and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews and their children, as well as extended family members, cousins and close friends, including Henri Lou Sharp of Amarillo and David Ross and Kelli Carroll of Atlanta, GA.
The family is extremely grateful to the medical professionals at NW Texas, BSA and The Craig, BSA Hospice, VA Amarillo and Ussery Roan who cared for “Mr. Rice” beautifully and offered their kindness and support to those family members overseeing his needs since August of this year.
A viewing will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2525 Wimberly Road in Amarillo on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 10:00 AM with service to follow at 11:00 AM and a Reception afterwards. Burial will be in Pampa at Fairview Cemetery at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Amarillo or the First Presbyterian Church in Pampa.
