Obituary of Lawrence John Rice

Larry was born Aug. 13, 1951 in Pittsfield, Mass to John and Florence (Ruscio) Rice. He died peacefully, after a heartattack, in the loving of arms of his girlfriend and soulmate, Crystal Hanson Culver, at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, WA. He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Florence (Ruscio) and L.G. Lloyd, Jr. of El Dorado Hills, CA; his son, Nathaniel Rice of Pownal, Vermont; his daughter, Sara Rae Rice of Graham, WA; his sisters, Susan Rice and Francine Lyon of CA; and numerous extended family members and friends across the country. To say that Larry was a "character" is an understatement! He considered himself a "legend" in Vermont (those were his words...) as he shared his adventures and misadventures of his earlier life. I can tell you, that he deeply regretted many things that he had said and done in the past. The Larry that I knew, after only meeting him in April of this year and being inseparable ever since, was a changed man. At the darkest time of his life, 2 years ago, he turned to God. He was not the "typical" Christian, by any means, but he talked to God daily, matter-of-factly, and included Him in every decision. And he was thankful for every little thing that happened in our daily lives. He often reminded me that I was an answer to prayer, that he had specifically prayed (in April) for someone to love before he died (his words) and that week I signed up on SeniorMeet.com. Larry was the first man I chatted with and we instantly clicked. I am so blessed to have been "the one".... Don't get me wrong....Larry could still be a ball-bustin', loud individual! He still loved to tease, still spoke his mind no matter what, still loved the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Elton John and so many others. He was learning to play guitar and bought me 1 to learn on too. He still cranked his music LOUD, knew the lyrics to every single song that came on the radio, loved to tell me stories about "back in the day". But those stories always ended with...."I was such an ***hole " I just want to say, that I am so very grateful that I got to be with Larry at the end of his journey here on Earth. We were so happy. And he was rebuilding his relationship with his son, Nathaniel, and couldn't wait for him to get here from Vermont. Nate didn't quite make it here, he was on the train outside of Portland, OR, when I had to tell him that his Dad had a heart attack and was in the hospital. They had spent many, many hours on the phone over the past few weeks, making plans and making amends for the past. And Nathaniel took charge, and took me under his wing and into his heart, and we got through it together. His Dad must be so, so proud of him. So, I need your help everyone.... This isn't a typical obituary, but Larry wasn't a typical man either..... I need your help filling in the blanks. Where he went to school, where he lived, jobs he had, friends he loved, etc... Please feel free to leave your comments and any pics you might have. This is the place to "remember" him.... Thank you all ~ and God bless. Crystal