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Lois Rice
April 24, 1924 Sept. 16, 2016
Lois Rice
Lois Rice, 1924-2016 - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Lois Rice

April 24, 1924 - Sept. 16, 2016

Lois Rice, born on April 24, 1924 to James and Retha Farris in Timbo, Ark., was promoted to glory at the age of 92, on Sept. 16, 2016.

Franklin & Downs is honored to serve the Rice family who invites all to celebrate the life of Lois Rice. A visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Ceres Chapel of Franklin & Downs, 2561 Fifth Street, Ceres.

A funeral service will be held at Haven of Hope Church, 5450 Seventh Street in Keyes at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 26 with burial to follow at Ceres Memorial Park.

Lois Rice was exactly the reason why they call her generation the "greatest." She embodied everything that a parent tries to instill in their children. She was the hardest worker that you would ever meet. There was nothing that she could not do, from farming to running a car upholstery business to acquiring 30-plus rental properties and only paying cash for everything. She lived like a pauper, never bought new clothes for herself, never ran her home air conditioner (freaking out when her utility bills were over $30) and lived off of TV dinners but she loved her family and sacrificed for their future during her whole life. She was a farmer, a mechanic, a landlord, a carpenter, a plumber, a roofer, a seamstress, a bookkeeper and she fulfilled many other roles. She was "the boss," stubborn, ornery, wise and she had one of the greatest financial minds ever. She was witty, hilarious, loving and she always gave of herself to help her family, which included her tenants.

Many in the area affectionately call her Mrs. Rice, and her handiwork is scattered all over the Valley by the way of upholstered automobile seats. She was a diamond tuck artist and specialized in classic vehicles.

She embraced her widowhood of 26 years and willingly welcomed every challenge. She was a strong woman, with vise-grip hands, hands built to grip a shovel, a wrench and especially a hoe.

She will be sorely missed by so many, but I am quite sure her character and her values will live on through many generations. Her life was not lived in vain and she solidified the saying, "Hard work works!

She leaves behind her son, Gary Rice and his wife Debbie Rice; daughter-in-law Pamela Rice, the wife of her late son Larry Rice; six siblings, J.A. "Blackie" Farris, Bonnie Miller, Wanda (Dean) Smith, Jim Farris, and Nevah Holbrook; and four grandchildren, Eric Rice, Ryan (Jessica) Rice, Jason Rice and Rashelle (Brad) Garrett. Lois is preceded in death by husband Otis Rice, parents James and Retha Rice, son Larry Rice and siblings, Howard Farris, Maxine Bunch and Imogene Gosa.

-Ceres (Calif.) Courier
Wednesday, September 21, 2016