Yolo County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....RICE , Walter Burtis  February 16 2002
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Peggy B. Perazzo pbperazzo@comcast.net and Judith Hinton  November 4, 2004, 6:49 pm

Woodland "Daily Democrat," Thursday, February 21, 2002
Walter Burtis Rice

Walter Burtis Rice, who entered the ministry after practicing optometry in
Woodland for 25 years, died Saturday, Feb. 16, 2002 in his Woodland home a few
weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was 64.

At the time of his death he had served as pastor of Faith Community Church
United Church of Christ, in Sacramento, for nearly 10 years. In that time he had
also served the Fruitridge Christian Church Disciples of Christ, and had been
the mentor for the Samoan Church of the UCC. He announced last October that he
planned to retire in April 2002 as pastor of Faith Community. He was the son of
Andrew and Penelope Rice, The Rev. Rice was born in Nevada and attended high
school and grammar school in Reno. His father was a research chemist for the
U.S. Bureau of Mines.

As a young man he attended the Federated Church at 4th Street and Virginia
Street in Reno, now the site of the Silver Legacy Casino. He played the clarinet
in the high school band and continued a lifelong love of music in any kind.

After graduating in 1960 from then-San Francisco State College with a bachelor's
degree in psychology, he was drafted, and served in the Army a short time in the
same year. Leaving the Army, he enrolled in the University of California School
of Optometry and graduated with a doctor's degree in 1966. The new doctor joined
his father-in-law, Dr. William Clark in practice in the Hotel Woodland in 1967.

In 1989, the future minister enrolled in the Pacific School of Religion, and
sold his optometry practice to Dr. Sheldon Smith.

"He was interested in the ministry all along, and believed that living in that
way would make him be a better optometrist," his family recalled. After
graduating from the Pacific School of Religion in 1993 he was ordained in March
of that year 1993 in St. John's United Church of Christ in Woodland after
interning under the Rev. William Schroeder of St. John's and the Rev. Don Wells
of the Woodland United Methodist Church.

Ten days after he was ordained, the new minister suffered a major heart attack,
but recovered to continue leading his congregation.

He met his wife, the former Nancy Clark, in the pool at Cazadero, a church camp
in Sonoma County, after he rode his bicycle to the camp. After a year's
engagement the couple was married on Dec. 28, 1958, the first couple to be
married on the stage in the new social hall of the Woodland United Methodist
Church.

His family remembers his love of hiking and camping, "His soul was at peace in
the mountains. His soul was at peace in the mountains," they remembered.

Surviving are his wife, Nancy Rice; sons, Jim Rice and wife Laura of Plattsburg,
N.Y. and Ian Rice of Sacramento; daughter, Megan Faiello and husband Michael of
West  Sacramento; and granddaughter, Emily Rice of Plattsburg; and several
cousins in Kansas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and older brother, David Rice.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at St. John's
United Church of Christ, 432 Cleveland St. in Woodland, with a lunch to follow.

The family requests memorials be directed to St. John's Retirement
Village-Stollwood Convalescent Hospital; or to the Nature Conservancy.

Kraft Brothers Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements. Memorial
inquiries may be made by calling 662-4658, or by contacting www.legacy.com.


Additional Comments:
Submitted with the permission of the "The Daily Democrat," 711 Main St.,
Woodland, CA 95695.  

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