Larry Joe Rice

February 24, 2018

Larry Joe Rice, 75, of Bainbridge, Ga., passed away Saturday, February 24, 2018.

The graveside funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, at Roselawn Memory Gardens with Rev. Jimmy Dean officiating. Garrett Rice, Spencer Rice, Dustin Strickland, Preston Strickland, Matt Greene and Kris Phillips will serve as active pallbearers.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 26, 2018, at Ivey Funeral Home. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.iveyfuneral.com.

Memorial donations may be made to Morningside Baptist Church, P. O. Box 7009, Bainbridge, GA 39818.

Larry Joe Rice was born August 22, 1942, in Raleigh, NC, the son of Deward Belmont Rice and Mary Faye Martin Rice. He was a graduate of Valdosta High School. In 1961, he married Sarah Adrianne Cheek, who proceeded him in death. Larry was a member of Decatur County Sheriff’s Department Rescue Unit and Morningside Baptist where he faithfully served as a Deacon for many years. He worked in the pest control industry for over forty years, retiring as owner of Good Sense Pest Control.

Larry was a kind and giving man who always put his family first. He loved the Lord and served as a role model for all Christians. Larry lived by “do the right thing because it is the right thing”. He never met a stranger and tried not to miss an opportunity to share the love of Christ with others. His favorite pastimes were hunting and fishing where his quiet, gentle soul enjoyed the peacefulness of creation.

Survivors include his children, Keith Rice and his wife, Renee, of Blakely, Ga., Mike Rice and his wife, Karen, of Bainbridge, Ga., Todd Rice and Pam Rice, also of Bainbridge; his grandchildren, Garrett Rice and his wife, Charlotte, of Bogart, Ga., Mindy Greene and her husband, Matt, of Boston, Ga., Kelsey Holt and her husband, Rock, of Colquitt, Ga., Spencer Rice of Roswell, Ga., Dustin Strickland of Tallahassee, Fla., Preston Strickland of Attapulgus, Ga., and Kris Phillips of Dothan, Ala.; his great-grandchildren, Brantley & Annabelle Rice, Brayden, Everly & Jacob Greene, Reese & Rylee Holt, Jayden Phillips, Jaycee Thompson and Mia Sanders; and his siblings, Sandra Hegwood and her husband, Lyn, of Gulf Shores, Ala. and Lynn Rice and his wife, Linda, of Vidalia, Ga. In addition to his parents and his wife of 55 years, Larry was preceded in death by his brothers, Ronald Rice and Dwyane Rice; and his granddaughter, Lauren Phillips.