Edith Marie Rice

Edith M. Rice was born on September 3, 1932 in Nashville, Tennessee to Paul and Cleo Brietenmoser. She was the fifth of seven children to be born into a very poor family and learned hard work, love, and deep respect for her parents and siblings at a very young age. In the summer of 1952, she met the one who would become the love of her life, James C. (Curt) Rice. He was dating her best friend and she his, but their double dates left the two of them laughing hysterically and enjoying each other’s company more, and Curt had his eye on Edith. Once he asked her out, he told her on their first date that he was going to marry her, to which she would just laugh! However just a few months later on December 3, 1952 he did, in a quick, Justice-of-the-Peace wedding. They toasted their new bliss on the steps of the courthouse with moon pies and RC Cola, but in a few short weeks Curt had to leave to return to his duty in the Korean war as a paratrooper and leave his new bride with her family for several months. Once he returned home, a lack of work opportunities in the South brought them up to Michigan to find jobs. They rented a little apartment in Detroit and Edith worked as a secretary until in March,1955 they were blessed with their first child, and Gary Phillip turning their status from couple into family. Edith stayed home to raise their little guy and in 1959 they were ready to buy their first home, a tiny little bungalow in Warren where, in November, 1960, they would welcome their daughter, Pamela, and their family became complete. Edith was a tremendously hard worker, keeping their home and the yard meticulously clean so that as Curt returned from work each day, he could rest for the rest for the night if he wanted to. She put out a full, family meal with all the trimmings every night. Her life was her family and creating a happy home for each one of us. In 1964 they would buy the home next store while renting out their previous one. Later, she and Curt would purchase two other homes on their street to renovate and rent out. This allowed Curt to cultivate his passion of home renovation. They were the original “house flippers.” They worked together extremely well, Curt making messes to cultivate beauty, and her cleaning up behind him in the process. Year after year as renters came and went, this was the continual “side job” and their children learned hard work in the process. Along with family across and down the street (Curt would help two younger brothers get settled nearby as they got older, married and left the nest) and wonderful neighbors that would become lifelong friends, life on Atlantic street created many happy times and friendships were built that would last a lifetime! Edith and her two sisters-in-law made a vow in their early years never to speak an unkind word about each other, and each of them kept that promise. The bible says, “a cord of three strands is not easily broken” and no doubt their strong bond helped in some small way to cement the entire and extensive Rice family. There is a legacy of love, both in the Rice and Brietenmoser families that you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. It’s extreme! Fast forward to 1990, and Curt would find another reno project down the street and convince Edith to purchase and tackle one more “extreme home makeover” and create their retirement home. Clean, cozy and comfortable this is where they and Gary would spend the rest of their days and receive three of the greatest joys in their life, three grandchildren… Melissa in 1992, Michael in 1994, and Phillip in 1996. Perhaps the happiest moments of their life were spent delighting in and developing their young lives. There was always laughter, antics and a whole lot of love in their house when time was spent with their grandkids! This gave Mike and I a break, especially every Friday night, to create the strongest of marriages. They often kept the children while we snuck away for a few days. It was an arrangement where everyone was blessed, and it brought them extreme joy to see their daughter so happy! Her sweetheart would pass in 2006, suddenly and without warning, and the heartbreak was beyond description, but God was not finished blessing Edith’s life with love. Seventeen months later, in a miraculous course of events, Edith would be reunited with her very first love, an engagement that had been broken once meeting Curt, and John Vartanian would enter her life once again. John had been widowed from his wife and mother of their children a few years earlier, and the two would reunite their spark and begin a courtship again after more than 55 years. What a blessing John was to Edith and to her children! No finer or more respectful man has walked this planet. Edith’s life was well lived, but never easy. From extremely poor roots, years of hard work, to the many severe health issues, physical difficulties were a constant part of her life. Even more painful were the heartbreaks she had to endure. Surrendering her husband of 53 years and her beloved son just a few years later, both sudden and prematurely, were far and away her greatest sufferings, yet she still never lost her joy for life. She was determined to grow better, not bitter, and grew sweeter as the years passed by. She had a kind word for everyone and would listen tirelessly when a friend or family member needed someone to talk to and didn’t need to be asked to keep a secret in confidence. She spoke ill of no one, and will always be remembered for her beautiful smile. By the wonderful grace of God, after years of battling health issues, Edith was allowed to life a full life of almost 86 years, die with a happy and full heart, with all mental faculties, in her own home, peacefully and secure in her destiny -- to be with her beloved husband and son, Gary in eternal glory with Jesus. She would have told you, “I couldn’t have asked for more!” She will be missed by every life she touched and I have been blessed beyond words to call this truly special woman my MOM! Go rest now, momma, for I am certain you have already heard the words of your Savior, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant!” I’ll see you again one day where there will be no more goodbyes.

Edith Marie Rice

September 3, 1932 - August 17, 2018