The death of Earl Victor Rice of Saint John sadly occurred on December 12, 2010, surrounded by his loving family at home, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was the loving husband of 20 years to Leslie J (Carter) Rice. Earl was born in Swindon, England in 1945, the eldest son of the late Earl W. Rice and Winnifred D. (Clay) Rice. Besides his wife Leslie, he is survived by his mother, Winnifred Rice; sons, Earl (Lynn) and Kevin (Bonnie) Rice; five grandchildren, Zachary, Natasha, Michael, Raylene and Amber; and one great grand-daughter, Emma. He will be missed by his step children, Jennifer (Jeremy) Porter, Tara (Mike) Walton, Ben Steeves, and Meghan (Trevor Fleury) Steeves, all in the Saint John area, Jo-Anne (Grant) Duncan of Calgary, and their families, Cody, Travis, Carter, Maxton, Desiree, Alex and Ethan; three brothers, Gary (Donna) Rice, Wayne (Carol) Rice, and David Rice; several nieces and nephews; and father-in-law, Bruce Carter. Earl and his sons spent many evenings watching hockey games until the end, and everyone who knew Earl knew he was the #1 Habs fan. A special mention must be made here of his faithful friends: Gary Marsh, who was by Earl’s side through his illness and was a great comfort to him, and his life long friend George Murray. Earl was predeceased by his beloved grandson, Brandon.
Earl worked for the city of Saint John, but is best known as a local sports figure. He captained the Saint John Mooseheads hockey team to win the Hardy Cup Canadian Championship in 1973, for which the team was inducted into the NB Sports Hall of Fame. Earl was inducted into the Softball NB Labatt’s Hall of Fame in June 2004. Hockey was his main love and he played with the Saint John Moosehead Oldtimers, until his illness prevented him. He also was an internationally credited softball umpire. Like most hockey players, he golfed in the summer, and was a member of the Westfield Golf and Country Club. In the winter he also loved snowmobiling and was a member of the Caribou Drifter Snowmobile Club. He was a memeber of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Saint John West. Earl was a good man who was known for his strong opinion, and he believed in doing what was right. He was a loving son and father, proud of his parents being War Veterans, and proud of his sons and their families.
Resting at Brenan's Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (634-7424), with visiting on Wednesday and Thursday, December 15 and 16, 2010 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Funeral service will be celebrated from Hillcrest Baptist Church on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 11:00 AM. Interment will take place in the Lorneville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances to Hillcrest Baptist Church, Saint John Minor Hockey, or P.R.O. Kids or donor choice would be appreciated by the family.
