Sunday, October 4, 2009

'Til We Meet Again, Cliff Rice

Cliff Ferman Rice, Darlene’s "kind, sweet husband" of nine years, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 28 at his home. The tall, distinguished and longtime faithful member of the Bloomington 7th Ward was a native son of Smethport, Pennsylvania where at age 6 he developed blood poisoning. Doctors advised amputating his infected arm, but his parents knew of a medicine woman who was said to work miracles. Her native salve saved his arm . . . and began what would become Cliff's lifelong affection for native American people and their culture.

Cliff served in the US Navy during World War II, stationed in the Aleutian Islands and later in Salt Lake City where he met and married Joyce Green, a little Mormon girl from Clearfield. It was through Joyce and others willing to share their testimonies - and Cliff's own reading of the Joseph Smith story - that, at age 23, he was ready to be baptized. Throughout his adult life, he embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ with faith and devotion and served faithfully in many ward and stake callings.

After his military service, Cliff graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Engineering Technology, then worked for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) during the day and built homes in the evenings and on weekends - including designing and constructing homes for each of his four children. After his retirement in 1979, the couple moved to St. George.

Joyce and Cliff shared 54 years together and a happy relationship with their four children, eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. After Joyce’s death in 1999, he married Darlene with whom he spent the last years of his life attending concerts and plays, golfing, and together in church service including a mission to San Diego in 2002.

Cliff will be remembered as a hardworking, funloving man of integrity with a fiesty sense of humor, a permanent smile and who quietly led by example. He was respectful of everyone, including those of other ethnicities and cultures; advised his children and grandchildren to "sing to your children" and loved brightly colored shirts. Cliff was widely sought after for his expertise in residential building construction. Many homes and young homebuilders in the St. George area bear the imprint of his accumulated knowledge and experience.

Cliff Rice will be missed by his family - and members of the 7th Ward - who enjoyed his gentle good nature and strong testimony.

No comments:

Post a Comment