Allen Dale Rice, 71, of Union City passed away Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit following a lengthy illness.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, 1276 Tate Trail, Union City, MI 49094, with Pastor Jayme Palaszeski officiating. Private interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Union City.
Visitation will be held from 3:00- 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation and again Thursday at the Lighthouse for one hour prior to the service.
Allen was born on October 4, 1953 in Coldwater, Michigan to Dale E. and Carolyn D. (Duflo) Rice. He was raised in Union City and earned his Eagle Scout Award and God and County Award through the Boy Scouts.
He graduated from Union City High School in 1971. He went on to Kellogg Community College, where he obtained an associate’s degree in accounting.
He married his high school sweetheart, Kathryn E. Olds, on July 26, 1975 at the United Methodist Church in Union City where they have been longtime members. Allen lived in the Union City area all of his life and he and Kathy raised their family there.
Allen worked as a program analyst at the Federal Center in Battle Creek for 34 years, retiring in 2016.
He was known to be patient, laid back, fun, and determined. He was a problem solver and a DIY guy that could fix just about anything. He had an adventurous spirit and dabbled in many things throughout the years, including: hunting, snow skiing, watersports, off roading with jeeps and motorcycles, and hang gliding. However, his favorite pastime was sailing the Great Lakes and the Caribbean.
He and Kathy spent the warm months on their boat in Muskegon at Lakeshore Yacht Harbour since 2003, and especially after his retirement. He captained several sail boats; the “Carpe Diem”, the “Hot Fudge”, and the “Dragonfly” to name a few.
Mr. Rice is survived by his wife of 49 years, Kathy Rice, his children Matthew (Desiree) Rice, Brent Rice, and Alison (Mark) Baklund, all of Union City; his parents, Dale and Carolyn Rice of Union City; his brother Duain (Betty) Rice of Glendale, AZ; his grandchildren Ashlyn Baklund, Collin Elkins, Caleb Baklund, Laynie Elkins, Kayden Rice, Brodie Rice Milly Rice, and Mattie Rice; his great-grandson Henry Baklund; his sisters-in-law Paulette (Lester) Risner of Loveland, CO and Pamela (Eric) Tundevold of Sherwood; his brothers-in-law Raymond (Tangi) Olds of Athens and Jeffrey (Tammy) Olds of Fremont, IN, and his beloved basset hound, Captain Morgan.
He was preceded in death by his in-laws, Paul and Donna (Voss) Olds.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Union City Senior Center, 101 South Broadway Street, Union City, MI 49094,
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