Rita Rice's Obituary
Rita Rice, nee Siegel, January 25, 1924 to February 22, 2021, age 97, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.
Rita grew up in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School, she moved with her parents, Bessie Fisher Siegel and Bernard Harold Siegel, to Bridgeport, Connecticut. There she me George L. Nissenson and four months later, at the age of 18, she married him. The marriage lasted 58 years until George's death in 2000. The couple moved to South Florida in 1964.
Some years after George's death, Rita married Albert Gellis who died five years later. Subsequently, at age 87, Rita married Albert Rice, who passed away in 2019.
Rita took great joy in life. She traveled the world, making friends wherever she went. She dressed elegantly, laughed loudly and loved deeply.
She is survived by her three daughters, Joyce Sugar (husband, Sheldon), Nola Firestone (husband, Billy Lacey) and Gail Zelko (husband, Bob); her grandchildren, Alyssa Simon, Marni Becker-Avin (husband, Role), Hollie Michaels (husband, Alan) and Michael Liebesking; and by her great-grandchildren, Adam Avin, Sabrina Avin, Zoie Michaels and Leo Michaels. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Edith Rome, her nieces, Adrienne Lowy, Eileen Rosenblum, (husband, Harvey), Phyliss Zuckerman (husband, Stanley) and her nephews Bruce Rome(wife, Vikki) and Gary Rome (wife, Claire) and by their children and grand-children an by a large extended family of cousins and adult step-children, Ron Gellis and Susan Frank. Rita was adored by all who knew her and will be greatly missed.
A private burial service was performed at Beth David Memorial Gardens.
Donations in her memory may be made to Wuf Shanti Children's Wellness Foundation, 5846 S. Flamingo Road, #116, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33330 (or online at www.wufshanti.com or through PayPal.com at [email protected]) or to TempleAdath Or, 4581 Weston Road, Suite #160, Weston, FL 33331 (or online at www.TAOCenter.net/donation).
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