Carlotta Elizabeth "Liza" Rice

Carlotta Elizabeth ("Liza") Wick Rice, 70, of Princeton died on August 22, 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Liza was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Because of her father's career, she moved frequently before graduating from college: Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Darien, Connecticut; Houston, Texas; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She is an alumna of Greenwich Country Day and Choate Rosemary Hall where she was a Rassweiler Scholar - an honor awarded to the CRH student who, "in achieving academic excellence, has shown a true love of learning." After graduating from Smith College, where she majored in English and comparative literature, Liza began her post-college work life as an editorial assistant at House & Garden magazine. A few months later she became the assistant wine and food editor where she typed the manuscript and edited Decorating with Flowers.

She was an Elvin R. Latty scholar at the Duke University School of Law and then finished her law degree at the University of Chicago after getting married. She began her legal career working for Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, a Chicago firm where she focused on commercial real estate. Liza continued her law career at Day Berry & Howard (now Day Pitney) when her husband Chris was transferred to Stamford, Connecticut. She switched to corporate law at United Distillers (now Diageo). After giving birth to her twins, Carlie and Alex, she arranged with her then-employer to work part-time.

When her husband accepted a position in Princeton in 1994, Liza retired from her legal career. While the preponderance of her time focused on school and community volunteer activities – including homeschooling their son for a year - she also found opportunities to exercise her legal expertise. She functioned as the in-house lawyer for her husband's company and dealt with real estate leases, copyright matters, and wrongful termination issues. When her husband decided to co-author a book on employee engagement with two colleagues, he called on Liza's editing skills to meld three different voices into a coherent whole. She maintained her sharp legal acumen throughout her life and used it to guide her children through everything from job offers to apartment and home contracts.

Liza became both a certified ESL literacy tutor and a certified master gardener for Mercer County (NJ). Her love of gardening extended to the fauna that took up residence around her home, including families of deer and red foxes. She was known for her fondness of pigs.

She undertook 85 hours of training under the auspices of Womanspace that counsels, represents, and shelters victims of domestic and sexual abuse and their children. "I didn't think I was naïve when I began the course," she said, "but I learned far more than I could have imagined."

Liza maintained a deep love for and connection with Virginia Beach throughout her life. She grew up spending summers at the beach and shared this annual experience with her children. It was here that she enjoyed precious time with her beloved cousins and goddaughter Catherine, relationships that brought her immense joy and comfort throughout her life. One of her favorite places on earth became the deck of her parents' beach house, where she found peace by watching sunrises and sunsets across the horizon daily.

She was known for her radiance and enthusiasm; she was both a source of compassion and an endless source of stories, eager to share her passions with those around her. She will be remembered for the care she put into raising her children and how she never missed an opportunity to share updates about their lives and how proud she was of them. Despite a terminal diagnosis, she did not let cancer limit her life at the end and will be remembered for her resilience.

Although Liza and Chris were in the same graduating class when Choate merged with Rosemary Hall their senior year, they never exchanged a word. They met at a cocktail party in NYC eight years later where he recognized her immediately. Liza revealed at their 50th class reunion that she did not know who he was but still gave him her phone number.

Daughter of the late Curtis Robert and late Carlotta Buff Norfleet Wick, sister of the late Buff Norfleet Wick, she is survived by her husband of 43 years Christopher "Chris" Rice and her children Carlotta "Carlie" Rice and Alexander "Alex" Rice.

Two celebrations of life will be held in her honor: Princeton and Virginia Beach. Dates will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Pennsylvania Hospital or to Buff's Garden in Virginia Beach in memory of Liza Rice.