Obituary of Rachel Williams Rice

Rachel Williams Rice age 94 of 701 Oaknoll Drive, Iowa City died on Thursday, October 30, 2003 following a long illness at Oaknoll Retirement Residence. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 4, 2003 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City, burial will at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. At Rachel’s request no visitation will be held. In Lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be given to the Rachel Rice Scholarship Fund at the Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado or the Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City. Online condolences may be sent to her family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. Mrs. Rice was born on July 20, 1909 in Oak Park, Illinois the daughter of Rev. Milton B. and Lilian (Reynolds) Williams. She attended varies Chicago Schools and graduated from Morgan Park High School. While in High School she studied piano at the Chicago Musical College. She received her B.M.E. from Northwestern College in Chicago and her M.A. from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa she studied with Philp Greeley Clapp the renowned pianist at the University of Iowa. Further studies were done at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University with Rundolph Ganz. She held several teaching positions including Tudor Hall in Indianapolis and Skinner Junior High in Denver. At the college level she taught at Missouri Valley College, Stephens College, Frances Shimer College, Iowa State Teachers College, Lamont School of Music in Denver and the Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado where she was granted the rank of Emeritus Associate Professor of Music in 1970. She traveled extensively through out the U.S and Eastern Europe giving lectures on her teaching methods. Rachel married Kenneth W. Rice on November 23, 1946 in Denver, Colorado. Following an early retirement they moved to Iowa City in 1970. She was a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church, and the church guild in Iowa City, the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Sorority and the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Sorority. She enjoyed music, W.S.U.I Radio and her friends and extended family at Oaknoll. Survivors include two nieces: Constance Righter Weil and husband Otto Weil of Bennignton, Vermont and Phyllis Jones of Iowa City, three: nephews Keith and wife Julie Jones of Setauket, New York, Justin and wife Cathy Williams of Skokie, Illinois and Roger Williams of River Forrest, Illinois She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three brothers, two sisters and one niece. The Gay and Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service are caring for Rachel’s services and her family.