Marcia Rice

Marcia Marie Foreman Rice was born May 6, 1917, in a sheep camp 2 miles south of Wheeless, OK, because they were having a blizzard, and the camp was next to where the midwife lived. Her parents were Arthur Cam Foreman and Josie Belle Mabry Foreman. Her father had worked in a cement plant in the Dallas area and moved to Wheeless to be a farmer in 1915 and her mother was a homemaker and a seamstress. She had 3 brothers, A.C. older than her and Mabry and Aubrey younger. Mabry is still alive. She attended elementary school at Wheeless thru the 5th grade, attended one year at Boise City, then attended and graduated from Felt High School. She got her teaching certificate after 2 years at Panhandle A & M in Goodwell, OK and then continued her education by getting a bachelor of science degree in home economics. She sewed a dress that took 2nd in the state at the Oklahoma State Fair. She was hired to teach at Hurley, a small one room school northeast of Boise City after getting the certificate. She began teaching there in September of 1937. She taught 2 years at Hurley. Then she taught school 2 years at the Skelley Ranch. From there she taught 2 years at the Felt Public school.

She met Lee D. Rice at community and school events. They were married in Boise City on November 26, 1937. They were together 77 years before his death at age of 104 in 2015. She was a true partner with Lee being very active in the farming and ranching endeavors. They had two boys: Jerry Lee, of Boise City, and George Franklin, who is deceased. She had 2 grandchildren, Amy and Aaron (deceased) and 3 great-granddaughters, Emily, Aubrey, and Katy.

Marcia was a lifelong Oklahoman until moving to Elkhart,KS, to the Morton County facility. She lived at Kenton, Wheeless, Felt, and spent the last 10 1/2 years of her life in the assisted living and then the Morton County Senior Care Center in Elkhart, KS.

She had many childhood memories from the Dust Bowldays: dust storms, being over-run with rabbits, and living in a dugout/basement house. She was a member of the Felt Baptist Church, where she taught classes for children and adults. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior around the age of 12-13. She played the piano. She was active in the Cimarron County Music Club for many years and Felt home demonstration club. She spent many years sewing for herself and her family. She enjoyed crocheting and painting also. Several in the Felt community have one of her paintings. She spent time teaching her 2 grandchildren how to paint. Her summers were full of gardening and canning. She taught her daughter-in-law (Debbie) how to can and freeze garden produce.

She was involved in Jerry’s school activities. She helped and encouraged his participation in 4-H and music. He still plays the piano today due to his mother’s influence.

She was a caregiver. She cared for her mother through the last years of her life when she had cancer. She cared for her older brother, A.C. who had cerebral palsy, and especially after their mother died, making sure he was taken care of and looking after his needs. Then the biggest one was her son George who was downs and mentally handicapped and required total care all of his life. For 59 years she took care of him in all ways. In their last years in the nursing home in Elkhart she saw him nearly every day and spent time with him. When he passed away it was like her real reason for living was gone.

She made scrapbooks with memories and cards for any birthday or anniversary event. She even made a scrapbook for her granddaughter’s high school activities and gave it to her for graduation.

 In her time at Elkhart you would find her reading her Bible in her room (she read completely through the Bible probably 6 or 7 times in the last few years), participating in care center activities, or playing cards with her lady friends from Felt. Many of the aides and nurses there in the care center considered her like their grandmother.

Visitation & Service Details

Visitation will be held on Friday, July 30th , 2021 from 1:00 P.M till 7:00 P.M at The Henson Novak Funeral Home in Boise City , Oklahoma

Celebration of Life Services will be held on Saturday July 31st at 11:00 A.M at The First Baptist Church in Felt , Oklahoma

The family would suggest donations in lieu of flowers to one of the following places: Gideons, Intl. for Bibles Fellowship of Christian Farmers Kenton Baptist Church for Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse C/O Henson Novak Funeral Directors P.O. Box 1306 Guymon , Oklahoma 73942

Friends and Family may sign the online guest book or leave an online condolence.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Marcia Rice, please visit our Tree Store.