Lee Rice passed away on August 22, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born April 19, 1944 in Washington state and grew up in Hailey, Idaho. As a young man, he moved to Las Vegas, NV where he met the love of his life, his bride, Patricia Velardo. Lee broke into the gaming business at Caesar's Palace and quickly rose to the executive level. During the course of his 50+ years in the gaming industry, Lee worked at world class casino properties, traveled the globe, and was a mentor to many. He brought humor, dignity, and respect to every position he held and was always "Top Drawer". He loved good wine, a good cigar, and reading a good book, but his greatest love was his family. Lee is preceded in death by his beloved bride, Patricia, and survived by their son, Jeffrey, and grandsons, Charlie and Parker. He will be loved and missed by many. Services previously held. Friday, September 18, 2020, at Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park,

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Published by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sep. 19, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Lee Rice

Sponsored by Davis Funeral Homes & Memorial Park - Eastern Ave..

11 Entries

Sandy Clark

November 5, 2023

Lee Rice was a mentor to me at Caesar´s Palace. We worked together in casino marketing and he definitely was the top of the tops. Taught me a lesson that resonates today, "kill them with kindness Sandy".

Sandy Clark
Former coworker

Marcie Moncrief

October 31, 2023

I met Lee many years ago and although I haven't seen him in a very long time, I still remember his laugh.

Billy Miller

October 30, 2020

A prince of a man. May his memory be a blessing.

Brandy S.

October 1, 2020

There aren't enough good things I could say about Lee. When I started at the Venetian 6 years ago, he was one of the first I met while in the employee dining room. He had the warmest smile and always had a joke to crack. He'd make it a point to travel the casino floor to VIP and come check on us to make sure we were doing ok. Before leaving he would always say, "If things get out of hand in here..." (Then he'd give me a name of another coworker to call when the chaos occurred.) It got to a point where I would catch him before he said it and I would tell him, "I'll call you Lee! When things get crazy!" He'd always smile. I really enjoyed the stories he would tell about old Vegas and how things used to be. And I'm absolutely sure he was looking forward to the day he would make it back to his wife. He was so bored without her.

Jeff A Rom

September 23, 2020

I first met Lee in the 1980’s at Caesars Palace, as a young man just graduating from UNLV’s hotel program I couldn’t have met a finer individual out of the gate. He treated his guest and coworkers with class and dignity.

Greg Shulman

September 22, 2020

I met Lee at The Mirage during the early part of my career - he was the VP of our National Marketing team and I've always considered him to be a mentor.

Those early days at The Mirage could be wild and crazy but Lee was the most unflappable executive I ever worked with - a true gentleman and the poster child for grace under fire. He always had a smile on his face and a kind word to say; the gaming industry will miss his leadership.

Rose Crocetti

September 21, 2020

I so remember Lee Rice was one fine well liked Caesars' Palace Executive! He was charismatic, a caring genuine people person to the employees. My late husband, Sgt. Rick Crocetti knew him far more than I did even though I was also part of the Caesars' family back in the day. My deepest condolences to his family!

Alan Feldman

September 20, 2020

Lee was one of the finest gentlemen I ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. He stands among a small handful of people who exemplified the highest levels of honesty and integrity in an industry that wasn’t always known for those attributes. I treasure the time we spent together at Mirage Resorts and will always appreciate the many lessons he I learned by simply observing him as he set the example for the rest of us.

Joe W. Brown

September 20, 2020

Lee was one of the best friends I ever had in Las Vegas. We met when I was new to town, and he worked the cage at the Golden Nugget before moving up to Caesars Palace. Many of the outstanding fights I attended were because Lee found a good seat for me. His wonderful wife Patty and great family were among the closest friends we had We never forgot our family trip to Disneyland when I was 35, and the bartender wouldn’t believe I was 21 despite showing him my ID! Lee was extremely good-hearted, and never forgot a friend. He was an unfailing gentleman. I’m sure he and Patty are together in Heaven. My sympathy to Jeff.

Debi

September 19, 2020

Lee was a friend, a mentor, and a true gentleman always. He will be missed by many.

Sending love to his family,

Debi

Jay Johnson

September 19, 2020

Condolences from the Johnson family, a true gentleman. Your family is in our prayers Jeff.

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