“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

After five years of pain and suffering, Eleanor Boone Rice, 83, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 1, 2008. She was born November 1, 1924, in Franklin County. Eleanor was the daughter of the late Furney G. and Florine Holmes Bowden Boone. She was a devoted mother and grandmother. Prior to her retirement she was a business agent for Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bruce Rice; sister, Janice Boone; brothers, William and Billy Boone; half-sister, Elizabeth Upchurch; step-brothers, Robert, Dennis, Emmett, Marvin and Woodrow Boone; step-sisters, Louise Whitley, Bernice Lancaster, Vera Brown and Eula Mae Boone.

She leaves to cherish her memory, two sons, Ronnie Rice and wife Cheryl of Nashville; Keith Rice and fiancée Karen Carroll of Spring Hope; and a daughter, Susan Allen and husband Guy of Byron, GA. She was “Grandma” to six grandchildren: Amy Rice Wier and husband, Duff of Alexandria, VA; Brad Rice of Charlotte; Brian Rice and wife, Sara of Middlesex; Adrian Rice of Middlesex; Melissa Stamey Pitts of Byron, GA; Lee Stamey of Norfolk, VA; and four great grandsons: Matthew, Jonathan, and Robbie Wier; and Kobe Pitts. She is also survived by one brother, F.G. Boone and wife Patsy of Creedmoor; sister-in-laws, Willie Grey Boone of Garner; Evelyn Boone of Omega, GA; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 3, 2008, at Duke Memorial Baptist Church in Spring Hope. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Duke Memorial Baptist Church, 4161 NC 581 Hwy N, Spring Hope, NC 27882. The family wishes to thank the staff of Avante Group in Wilson for the loving care and attention they gave Eleanor and the family during the last few months of her life. Arrangements are entrusted to Johnson Funeral and Cremations, 661 English Road, Rocky Mount.

Online condolences can be made at www.johnsonfuneralsandcremations.com.

Paid Obituary