Jan. 4, 1932 – Nov. 2, 2017
Clinton Gale Rice, 85, of Sweet Home died Nov. 2, 2017.
He was born Jan. 4, 1932 on a cold winter morning at the old Victorian house in Lebanon that once served as a hospital. Within a few days he was taken home to a small farm owned by his parents, Walter and Vergie Rice near the village of Holley.
The farm was once part of land owned by his great-grandfather, James Norval Rice, who immigrated to the Oregon Territory in 1850. Mr. Rice always cherished his pioneer heritage.
He attended Holley grade school, a two-room school, graduating from the eighth grade and then from Sweet Home Union High School in 1950.
During his years growing up Mr. Rice did field work on area farms and his parents’ family farm. After school he worked a short time in a small sawmill, then was employed in late 1951 by the Bank of Sweet Home, where he worked for over 35 years. He saw many changes in that business, from the use of dip pens to computers.
Mr. Rice enjoyed restoring vintage cars, woodworking, gardening, and trips to the coast.
He loved the Lord and his family and delighted in their times together. He enjoyed attending St. Francis Episcopal Church in Sweet Home. He was a great reader in the later years and became a student of our country’s civil war years, collecting many books on the subject.
Mr. Rice is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Barbara Ann (Brendle) Rice of Sweet Home; daughter Kathy and son-in-law Dick Litts of Lakeside; sons Duane and daughter-in-law Susi Rice of Denver, Colo., Scott and daughter-in-law Edene Rice of Sweet Home; 11 grandchildren; and one great- grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his son, Gary Alan Rice, in 2013.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel.