Gene Milton Rice was born Aug. 5, 1925, in Crane, Missouri and left this life June 5, 2022, at the age of 96. His parents were Dee and Ethel Rice, and he had one older brother, Nelson Rice. Gene lived in Crane until he was 8 years old. In 1933, the Rices acquired the Doniphan Telephone Company and moved to Doniphan, where Gene lived for the rest of his life. He was a member of the First Baptist Church. At the age of 12, he accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized, and enjoyed singing in the church choir.
Gene attended Doniphan High School and graduated with the Class of 1943. He was very active in high school sports and receiving a Medal for being “Most Athletic.” Immediately after graduation, he and his best friend Lewis Sewell drove to St. Louis and joined the U.S. Army Air Force, where Gene served as a navigator. After the war ended, he attended Westminster College for a year, and then moved to Kansas City where he worked for the Kansas City Municipal Utilities Co. Later, he enrolled in the University of Missouri at Rolla, Missouri and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He then returned to Doniphan to work with his father and brother in the Doniphan Telephone Company.
In August of 1952, he met the love of his life, Dorothy A. Bartel. He proposed to her after attending a St. Louis Blues Hockey game, and they married on March 28, 1953. He loved being outdoors. He was very passionate about golfing and was a member of both the Westwood Hills and the Current River country clubs. He made 15 holes-in-one over the course of his golfing career. He also enjoyed the Current River and loved spending time at his family’s cabin at Worley’s Rock.
He and his wife, Dorothy, were blessed with two wonderful children, Patricia (Steve) Gowen and John (Rebecca) Rice.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; both children Tricia, John; his sister-in-law Jane and her husband, Lynn Snow; nine grandchildren: Paris (Brian) Foster, Janet, Sara, and Megan McFall, Joshua (Caitlyn) Rice, J-Lynn (Ervin) Nance, Jacob (Leota) Rice, and Jeremy and Mindi Rice. They have 21 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents Dee and Ethel Rice, and his brother, Nelson Rice.
Private funeral services were held at Edwards Funeral Home on Friday, June 10, 2022. Burial was at the Doniphan City Cemetery with Rev. Monty Flanigan officiating and giving the eulogy. He was buried with Full Military Honors. Pallbearers were Jacob Rice, Joshua Rice, Daniel Maples, Zackary Paisley, Drew Foster, and Shayne Elich. Our thanks go to Dr. Li, Dr. Graber, and to all of the wonderful people who took care of him at The Manor.