John Randolph Rice, CPA (Age 86)
John Randolph Rice, CPA, of Rockville, MD, passed peacefully on November 22, 2019 at the age of 86. He was born in Syracuse, NY on November 20, 1933 and moved to Cumberland, MD in 1936. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph W. Rice and Claudine McCullough Rice of Cumberland.
John is survived by JoAnn, his loving wife of 61 years, and three children Karen S. DiPeppe (Joe), Scott R. Rice (Amy), and Jody D. Rice as well as six grandchildren (Meaghan and Wes Collins, Theresa and John Nielsen, Scott, Jr., Kyle, John Tyler and Jack) and two great grandchildren (Jameson and Annaleigh).
John graduated from the University of Maryland in 1955, where he was a member and served as chapter president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He lived in the Washington area from 1958 until his death.
He started his accounting career with Arthur Andersen in New York City in 1955. He then served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Boston, the first guided missile cruiser. After leaving the military, he served as an internal auditor of Capital Airlines. In 1961, he took a position as Business Manager and later Comptroller of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) where he headed the financial department for the next 38 years. He retired in May 1999.
Mr. Rice shared his passion for sports as Commissioner and Coach of the Farmland Athletic Association’s (FAA) basketball and softball programs from 1973-1978. John served on the Board of Directors during construction of the Tilden Woods Swimming Pool and served as its Treasurer and Tax Preparer from 1964 into the 1970’s.
In his retirement, he played softball and basketball in programs sponsored by the Montgomery County Senior Sports Association and served as its Treasurer from 1992-2017. He was also a member of Board 12, International Association of Approved Basketball Officials from 2003-2011 and refereed games in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. John also umpired softball games for the Greater Washington Softball Umpires Association-ASA from 2007-2013 and the Maryland Umpires Softball Association-NSA from 2005-2013.
As an avid fan of the Redskins and Washington Nationals, John was delighted to cheer the Nats on to their first World Series victory.
Relatives and friends may call at Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Boulevard West, Silver Spring, MD, (Valet Parking), Tuesday, November 26, 2019 from 2-4 pm where a service will begin at 4 pm.
Interment MD Veteran’s Cemetery-Rocky Gap at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Central Union Mission, 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007
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