Obituary of John Edward Rice

John Edward Rice, Sr. passed away Sept, 20, 2018, in Reston, Virginia. He was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania on February 23,1941, to the late Francis Thomas I and Marcelline Staff Rice.  In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his brother Francis T. Rice, II and his sister Mary Jean Morgan.  He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Nancy Shade and their three sons, Kevin J. Rice and his wife Kathryn of Alexandria, VA and their two children Emma Marcelline and Liam Thomas, John E. Rice, Jr. and his wife Kimberly of Spanish Fort, AL, and William F. Rice and his wife Adriana of Herndon, VA and their two children Camden Enrique and Natalia Alicia. He is also survived by his sister Marcelline Rice and many nieces and nephews. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science degree from St. Bonaventure University in New York and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

For 33 years, he was the owner operator of two McDonald’s restaurants in Evergreen and Monroeville, Alabama.  He served as city councilman in Monroeville for sixteen years. While on the city council he served on many committees, including the planning commission. He was a member of the Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus, Annunciation Catholic Church where he volunteered as an usher and Eucharistic Minister, and the Kiwanis Club named him citizen of the year in 1998. He dedicated countless hours to Dixie Youth Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball and the Boy Scouts of America. John was also a member on the Board of Directors for Monroe Academy where he served as president for 4 years.

John and his family enjoyed attending the many sporting events available to them in the area. John enjoyed sharing time with his sons and grandsons watching all types of sports, regardless of the level. He loved watching his grandson, Liam, play hockey and baseball and attended many of his games. He also enjoyed watching his granddaughter in a number of theatrical productions.  He was an enduring fan of the Cleveland Browns despite much teasing about the team. He attended the very first Monday night football game where he watched the Browns defeat the Jets.  Oddly enough, he passed right after the Browns once again beat the Jets in Cleveland. His greatest creation was his family, which meant everything to him, he was always kind, generous, and helpful to them and others. He was adored by his family and will be greatly missed.

Visitation will be held on September 25, 2018, at Adams-Green Funeral Home, 721 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.   Funeral service will be held on September 26, 2018, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 750 Peachtree St., Herndon, Virginia.  In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Ronald McDonald House of your choice. (You can visit www.rmhc.org to make donations.

Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be announced.