John Lorne Rice

John Lorne Rice died peacefully on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 with his wife and three children by his side at Community Hospice in Hughson, California.

John was born in Martinez, California in 1931 to Lorne and Margaret Rice of Crockett, California.  After graduating from John Sweat High School in Crockett, where he played basketball and football, John joined the Air Force and he served in the early 1950’s in Austria and Germany during the Korean War.

John met his soon-to-be wife, Warrene, while attending junior college in Concord, California. They married in 1959 and settled in Crockett. John earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1960 from San Francisco State University.  After graduation, John was hired by the State of California Employment Development Department (E.D.D) and he worked in Vallejo, San Francisco and Oakland.  John and Warrene raised three children in Crockett until 1972 when he moved his family to Modesto when he was promoted to Manager of the Modesto E.D.D., a position he held until he retired in 1993.

After retiring, John and Warrene enjoyed traveling to Europe and trips throughout California especially to his beloved Lake Tahoe, San Luis Obispo, and anywhere near the Pacific Ocean. In his free time, John enjoyed swimming, reading, watching WW2 documentaries and gardening.

Along with his wife of 60 years, Warrene, and his three children, Michael Rice, Karen Escajeda and Kelly Rice-Ortiz, John is survived by a daughter-in-law, Lynn Rice, two sons-in-law, William Escajeda and Raúl Ortiz, and four beautiful grandchildren Amalia and Anna Escajeda and Will and Eliza Rice. He is also survived by three nieces Lorna Aites, Lisa Rice and Erica Sutherland and a nephew, Noel Rice. He was preceded in death by his two brothers Brenton Colin Rice and Hugh Julian Rice.

He will be greatly missed by his family, but they are grateful he’s no longer in pain and finally at peace.

In lieu of flowers, John’s family would appreciate donations be made in his name to either the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy at foundationforpn.org or Community Hospice at give.hospiceheart.org.

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