Mr. Frederic Leland Rice Jr.

Frederic Leland Rice, Jr. was born in Aurora, Illinois on July 19th, 1932. He married Mary Jean Rice (Jeanie) in 1956 and they celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary before she passed away in 2015. Fred retired from Phillips Petroleum Company after 37 years of employment and spent the rest of his life traveling and enjoying the company of family and friends. He died in the home he loved for 40 years at the age of 88 on Friday, October 30th, 2020. Fred Rice (aka Papa) was kind, generous, and loved his family. He seized every opportunity to learn something new, which often led him to travel the world with Jeanie. He saw the best in everyone, especially his children and grandchildren, and always encouraged their highest potential. His kindness and generosity showed through the support he gave to his family, but also to his community through decades of donating blood, volunteer work at Meals on Wheels and AARP Tax Assistance. His passion of model airplanes and its community spanned decades. He spent countless hours building, flying, (crashing), rebuilding and communing with his fellow model airplane enthusiasts. Fred also loved ice cream, the stock market, gin and tonics, gin rummy, art and music, and trips to the casino. He was a talented storyteller and had a new joke to tell at every occasion. Without the tactful supervision of Jeanie, in more recent years he enjoyed riling up the family by bringing up politics at inappropriate times (i.e. holiday dinners). However, Jeanie’s profound influence on Fred was apparent, when after her passing, he adopted the habit of ending every phone call to family with “I love you”. His family is comforted to know that he is at peace with loved ones who passed before him, such as his nephew, Rick Hoyt, his soulmate, Jeanie, and their beloved cat, Avery. Those left to honor and remember Fred dearly include his four children, Debbie, Dianna, Pam, and David, one favorite granddaughter, Sarah, and six favorite grandsons, Justin, Ben, Chris, Nathan, Enzo, and Leo. He will be deeply missed by his big sister whom he adored, “Sis” (Suzanne), her children, Jim and Cindy, and countless others whose lives he touched. Immediate family will have a private service. For all who wish to pay their respects, a drive-thru reception will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2020 from 2:00pm-3:00pm at 257 Turkey Creek in Bartlesville. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages in-person blood donation or monetary contributions to the Red Cross.

Mr. Frederic Leland Rice Jr.

July 19, 1932 - October 30, 2020