James R. Rice, 71, of Cincinnatus, NY, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
Born in DeRuyter, NY, on November 7, 1946, Jim was the son of the late Thomas and Madlien Bush Rice. A longtime resident of this area, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army having proudly served during the Vietnam Conflict from 1967 to 1969. He had been employed at Berry’s Milling in Homer, Agway in Cincinnatus and DeRuyter, and retired from Saunders, Inc. in 2006. He was also a member of the Teamster’s Union and a founding member of the hunting club, Kamp Kookaracha.
He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Judy Brown Rice; and their children, Denise Rice of Cincinnatus, James (Cherie) Rice of Willet, and Darren Rice of Cincinnatus. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Amanda (Joseph) DeLee, Stone (Rob Huestis) Knight, Phoenix Rice, Rachel Kerns, Willow Rice, and Arwen Rice; his great-grandchildren, Michaela and Connor DeLee, and Faith Hueustis; a brother, Ike (Jackie) Rice of DeRuyter; sisters, Janice (Steve) Breed of Cuyler, Darlene (Arthur) Brown of DeRuyter, Claudia (Kevin) Barrow of Homer, and Kellie (Christopher) Bush of Cuyler; a sister-in-law, Debbie Rice, of Georgetown; several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Thomas Rice, Jr. in 1941, and Duke Rice in 2017.
The family will be present to receive friends at the K.L. Sharp Funeral Home, Cincinnatus, NY, on Friday, November 17, 2017, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Jeremy Stopford officiating. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Jim may be directed to the Cincinnatus Emergency Squad, c/o Elaine Oros, 5771 McFarlane Rd., Cincinnatus, NY 13040. To leave a personal message for the family, please visit www.klsharpfuneralhome.com.