Wilbur Lee Rice, 89, of Crawfordsville passed away peacefully on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.
Wilbur was born to Marvin and Vera (Gose) Rice on Oct. 21, 1930, at Grange Corner, Indiana. He married Janet Myers on March 5, 1954, and they shared nearly 66 wonderful years together.
He is survived by his wife and their four children, Marla (James) Mack of Indianapolis and Gary (Terri) Rice, Lisa (Terry) Powell and Gregory (Linda) Rice, all of Crawfordsville; eight grandchildren, Serah, Lindsay, Julie, Andrew, Stacey, Steven, Cory and Madison; and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three siblings, Lena, Morris and Frieda; and grandson Joshua.
Wilbur was an Army veteran of the Korean War and upon returning home, began his long love of restoring and building properties with Russell Dawson Construction. After 20 odd years, he ventured out on his own, continued remodeling and began property owning and management. He also worked for Crawfordsville’s HUD department for many years as a home inspector. He remained with them even after “retirement” until the age of 87.
Outside of work, Wilbur enjoyed traveling, camping, spending time with his family on their pontoon boat, gardening, riding in his truck with his dog and morning coffee at The Forum with his buddies. He was funny, kind smart, innovative and loved his family fiercely. He could fix anything and was the hardest worker you’d ever meet.
Although his loved ones are heartbroken, they are honored to have called him husband, “Dad” and “Papaw” for so many years and are thankful for the promise of seeing him in Heaven again someday. He will be missed dearly.
Visitation will be 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at Hunt & Son Funeral Home, with services to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association.
