George Edwin Rice

December 13, 1937 ~ January 14, 2021

George Edwin Rice was born December 13, 1937 in Price, UT. He was the oldest of two children born to Leslie Cooper Rice and Hortense Francis Sidwell Rice. He passed away on January 14, 2021 in South Ogden, UT at the age of 83. He passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s and dementia, not from COVID-19.

When he was young, George’s family lived in Castle Gate, UT where his father was a coal miner. Through a series of moves, opportunities, and the divorce of his parents, he spent most of his school years in Logan, UT. He graduated from Logan High School in 1956. As a young man, he enjoyed fixing and customizing cars, roller skating, and working at the local hardware store.

He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark, serving for two and a half years. After serving his mission, he attended school at Weber State College in Ogden, UT. He started his education in the Radiology Technology program, which is where he met his future wife, Bonnie Jenkins.

George and Bonnie were married September 8, 1965 in the Logan, UT Temple. They are the parents of seven children: George, Christine, David, Tamara, Michael, Joan, and Spencer.

George finished his schooling in Education with a Master’s Degree in science and math. He taught for two years in Milford, UT. He settled in Monticello, UT where he taught fourth grade at Monticello Elementary School for 27 years. One of the things that most of his fourth graders would remember is launching model rockets at recess and lunchtime each spring.

George enjoyed serving in the community. He served on the city council for two terms, was a volunteer EMT, and was always helping others. He cared about America and loved liberty and freedom.

He was also very active in his faith, serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many ways. He served a mission with his wife, Bonnie, to the Cleveland Ohio Mission. They were able to serve at the Church History sites in Kirtland, OH. He loved serving as a temple worker in the Monticello, UT Temple both before and after his mission. He was committed to serving the Lord in any way he could.

George loved to be busy and enjoyed time with his family. He loved the outdoors, going hiking, and exploring all the areas of San Juan County. A favorite family activity was gathering firewood every fall. A common family outing involved Dutch oven cooking, usually in the desert. He loved to garden and was known to have excellent landscape and gardening skills. People often asked him for help with their gardens because of his expertise.

He also was quite handy with fixing and building things, remodeling the family home, and working on projects around the house. He loved to be active with the kids and grandkids and looked for opportunities to play with and spend time with them. He always wanted to be in on the fun. He was a caring person, speaking kindly of others, and willing to serve and help others that needed his help no matter the inconvenience to himself.

George is going to be missed. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Rice; his children except Spencer who died at only two weeks old; and 22 grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Hortense Rice; his sister, Marilyn Rice; his son, Spencer; and three half siblings from his father’s other marriages (Nettie Lawana Rice, Danny Vernon Rice, Beverly Jane Rice).

To leave a memory of George for the family, please go to mrricememories@gmail.com and send a message with your memory of George. The funeral was recorded if you are interested in viewing it. Please go to www.sanjuanmortuary.com and look under the obituaries. The link for the recording is there.