Louis Rice

SEWANEE — Louis Wood Rice Jr., passed away the evening of Jan. 17, 2018, at the age of 91. The cause of death was heart failure. He was born on Oct. 26, 1926, in Tullahoma, Tenn., to Louis Wood Rice and Carroll Patterson Rice. He grew up in Knoxville and Johnson City, Tenn. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944, and served as air crew in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He entered the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., after the War, and graduated in 1950 with a B.A. in Economics. While attending Sewanee, he met his future wife, Ellen Kirby-Smith, whom he married in 1950. After college he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent in Detroit and in New Jersey until 1953, when he joined Sears Roebuck and Company as Employee Relations Manager. He and Ellen relocated to Atlanta. In 1967, he was hired by Genuine Parts Company in Atlanta as Senior Vice President of Personnel. He stayed with Genuine Parts nearly 30 years until retirement in 1996. They lived in the Atlanta area until 2000, when they returned to Sewanee, Tenn., in retirement. Ellen died in 2003 in Sewanee. In 2006, he married Anne Turlington of Sewanee, who died in 2014. The last year of his life was enriched by his companion, Amy Burns of Sewanee. He is survived by a sister, Emily Rice Chiswell, of Gaithersburg, Md.; and two children, Louis W. Rice III, of Sewanee (wife Sandra), and Laura Brooks Rice, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey (companion Dan Upson). He was predeceased by a brother, Robert L. Rice of Hilton Head, South Carolina and by a sister, Ann Rice Thompson of Auburn, Georgia. While in Atlanta, he served as a City Commissioner of Avondale Estates, as President of the Sewanee Club of Atlanta, on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Atlanta, on the Cobb Chamber Board of Directors, on the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Board of Directors, the National Institute for Automobile Service Excellence (ASE) as Board Member and Executive Committee Chairman. He received the Automotive Hall of Fame Human Resources/Education Award in 1993. He was chair of the Atlanta Personnel Round Table and Personnel Committee Chair of the Automotive Service Industry Association. He was also Chair of the NAPA National Training Committee. He was Vice President of Atlanta Country Club. He served the University of the South as President of the Associated Alumni, as a Diocesan Trustee, as an Alumni Trustee, and as a member of the Board of Regents. He enjoyed gardening, golf, painting, and world travel. He was a passionate fan of both the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons. Along with both his wives, he extended legendary hospitality in Atlanta and in Sewanee. He was Superintendent of the Abbott Cotton Martin Memorial Ravine Garden (Abbo’s Alley) for fifteen years. He was on the Board of Directors of Arcadia at Sewanee, and played a key role in bringing Angel Park to the Sewanee Village. A funeral service will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, at 11 a.m. at All Saints Chapel on the campus of the University of the South, followed by interment at the University Cemetery. Memorial Gifts may be made to the University of the South/Abbo’s Alley 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, Tennessee 37375. Arrangements are by Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, Winchester, Tenn.