Laurn Andrew Rice

1971 - 2019

BORN

1971

DIED

2019

Laurn Rice Obituary

1971 ~ 2019
Laurn Andrew Rice passed away on Wednesday morning, August 21, 2019. He was born on December 14, 1971 in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Clinton, Utah. Being adopted by his parents was, in his words, "the best thing EVER!!!". After breaking his back at age 18 in a motocross accident, Laurn lived as a paraplegic for 29 years. Although he was shorter than most in his wheelchair, he was looked up to by numerous family and friends.
Laurn never let being in a wheelchair slow him down. He was proud of his life and what he was able to accomplish: "I did more in this life than I could have ever imagined!!!" He was proud of the respect he earned from coworkers, customers, and friends. Despite lacking a high school diploma, he rose to senior leadership positions in the tech industry. His kindness, optimism, generosity, and big smile left a lasting impact on those he mentored and many others.
Laurn was always put together and precise in everything he did. He appreciated nice things and took care of everything he owned, including his collections of model airplanes, guns, watches, and cars. He loved fast cars and washed his own every single week because if you didn't "you were just lazy." He enjoyed good food and drinks, and even had a knife with his name displayed at Spencer's steakhouse.
Laurn loved his family heritage and his mom's Maori culture. He wore a Maori jade necklace every day and made annual trips with family to Metropolis, Nevada to decorate graves. He spoiled his nieces and nephews with wheelchair rides and awesome Christmas presents. Above all, Laurn deeply loved his stepson, Andrew. Laurn taught him many life lessons and felt Andrew was one of the best things in his life.
We know a meaningful reunion has taken place with his parents, Charles and Polly Rice, that preceded him in death. He is survived by his stepson Andrew Tagge and three siblings Arlin Rice, Lauretta Sechrest (Scott), and Lani Hoye (Jeff). A Celebration of Life will be held for family and close friends on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 from 6-8 pm at 3642 S Bountiful Blvd, Bountiful, Utah 84010. He will be interred at the Hooper City Cemetery in Hooper, Utah earlier that day. Online condolences may be made at myers-mortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Laurn's name to The Road Home using [email protected].

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Published by Deseret News from Aug. 25 to Aug. 26, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Laurn Rice

7 Entries

Abe Inkidar

September 28, 2019

Godspeed Laurn and may your Soul rest in Peace. I will forever remember your smile and positive attitude. I never considered myself a customer when dealing with you as you always made me feel like family. My sincere prayers and condolences to the family of Laurn.

Kevin Stevenett

September 6, 2019

Laurn, it has been my privilege and honor to know you, to work with you, to learn from you, and even compete with you. Over the years, I stopped seeing your chair. It did not define you, or hold you back. I looked up to you. I always enjoyed our conversations, your vision, your advice... even though you're a few years younger, you had a wisdom beyond. Rest in peace, my friend.

August 28, 2019

To Laurn's family: My heartfelt condolences on this extremely sad news.
I felt privileged to be able to work with him in the powersports/motorcycle industry for so many years. He was a straightforward guy who always sought a positive, successful result.
And always that smile when I saw him!

August 27, 2019

Laurn was a rock for Lightspeed for many years. I had the privilege of meeting him in 1995 and enjoyed watching his rise within the ranks of Lightspeed, ADP and CDK. He will be greatly missed by his co-workers, peers, and powersports dealers.

Kimberly Barnett
Barnett's Las Cruces H-D & Barnett Harley-Davidson

Mark Sheffield

August 27, 2019

I'd known Laurn for over 20 years. The accident that put him in a wheelchair didn't slow him down. It always sucks to lose a friend. He will definitely be missed, but I'll keep his contact info in my phone as a reminder of our friendship. Safe travels old friend.

August 26, 2019

Lauretta and Family, although we never had the privilege of meeting Lauren, we know that he was a wonderful person from the way you spoke of him. We love you guys and we will keep you in our prayers.
Pam and Cliff Holt

Gerald & Desiree Frederick

August 25, 2019

My family sends our sincere condolences to Laurn's family. Both Desiree' and Gerald had the opportunity to work closely with Laurn on very different levels within Lightspeed.

Desiree' was privileged to work with Laurn for 5 years at Lightspeed in the sales group. Laurn shared his passion for good food with the sales group by exploring the restaurant scene with the sales team. Laurn's laughter could be heard around the building.

Gerald appreciated the trust that Laurn had in his ability to handle hard customer calls and get the customer fixed efficiently. Gerald knew that when Laurn was coming to specifically ask for a call to a dealer to be made that a great trust was placed to get things corrected and trust reestablished with the customer.

It was always a pleasure to speak with Laurn. We are deeply saddened by his passing. The world has lost a light. We wish for his family to find peace during this difficult time.

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