Robert Rice

MURPHYSBORO - Robert Davis Rice, 72, died at 6:05 a.m. Monday, July 29,2013, after a two year battle with lymphoma.

He was born Jan. 7, 1941, in Newton, N.J., the son of Robert R. and Iola P. Rice of Hackettstown, N.J.

He married Maryjune Walton and they were married 51 years.

Bob graduated from Millersville University in Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in education and taught industrial arts for 29 years at Roxbury High School in New Jersey. He retired and then joined the staff at Blue Ridge Lumber Co., in Blairstown, N.J. until 1989. He moved to Punta Gorda, Fla. in 1989 where he then worked at St. Andrew's Golf Course as their head mechanic for 16 years, finally retiring in 2006 and moving to Murphysboro.

He was a member of Murphysboro United Methodist Church and a 33 degree Mason. He enjoyed helping friends, family and neighbors with many projects, building mission furniture and running "G" scale trains.

Survivors include his wife, Mimi Rice; two daughters, Rebecca Apgar of Murphysboro and Katherine Lemke of Mountain Dale, N.J.; two brothers, Peter R. Rice of Hartsel, Colo. and Jeffrey D. Rice of Hackettstown, N.J.; and eight grandchildren.

Robert is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Iola Rice, and a daughter, Deborah Ludwig of Goshen, N.Y.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in Murphysboro United Methodist Church.

Memorials may be made to the Murphysboro United Methodist Church or to Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis.

To send a condolence or additional information, visit www.crawshawfuneralhome.com.