RICE, John Michael

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ January 6, 2009 John Michael Rice died Nov. 30, 2008, in Phoenix. He was born May 28, 1943, in Yakima, Wash., to John and Mary Rice. Known to all his family and friends as "Mike," he lost his longtime battle with cirrhosis of the liver. He is survived by his sister, Becky, and brother-in-law Stan from Filer Idaho. He had three children JimmyJohn, Sherri and Danna, and six stepchildren, Joe, Pat, Debbie, Robert, Richard and Susan, four daughters-in-law, two sons-in-law, all from Phoenix, Tucson and Albuquerque, N.M., and 18 grandchildren. He married Linda in May of 1998 in Phoenix, and soon after they moved to Show Low to begin their life together. He loved "his mountain" and called it "his little piece of heaven." He served in the Navy during Vietnam aboard the USS Ticonderoga from 1960-64. Mike followed in his father's footsteps of being a musician and began his guitar-playing days aboard ship. He played in places like Hong Kong when they got the chance to go ashore. He always said that "music was his escape from the reality of war." Mike was a member of the Show Low VFW and the American Legion where he met all of his "extended family." He was proud to call all members friends. He had a fantastic outlook on life and will truly be missed.