Elizabeth Davidson Rice

Laura Elizabeth (“Betty”) Davidson Rice passed away on Thursday morning, April 28, 2016, from the effects of a stroke. She was 87. The memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 1st, 1:00 PM at Roswell Funeral Home, 955 Mansell Rd, Roswell, GA 30076. Born in Lithonia, GA on March 24, 1929 she was the middle child of five children of John Keay Davidson, Jr. and Laura Elizabeth Lovingood Davidson. After graduating from Lithonia High School, Betty received her English degree from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA beginning her teaching career at East Lake Elementary. She then married her long-time boyfriend Frank Stanton Rice in June, 1950. They had two sons, F. David Rice born July, 1953 and William (“Bill”) D. Rice born February, 1956. While caring for and raising her family, she attended Georgia State University graduating with a Masters and a Sixth-Year Certificate in Reading Arts. After going back to work full-time, she taught at Coan Middle School and Murphy High School in Atlanta finishing her 28-year teaching career at McNair HS in DeKalb County. Upon retirement in 1992, she devoted her time to her husband and spending as much time possible with four grandchildren, Elizabeth and Madeleine Rice of Roswell, GA and Aaron and Blake Rice of Georgetown MA. Betty loved to travel going to Europe three times with family and friends and multiple trips to western states with her husband after retirement. Another passion was gardening and on retirement Betty devoted many volunteer hours to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Pine Hills Gardening Club. Betty was a loving and devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews. She is survived by siblings C. Warren Davidson, J. Dean Davidson and wife Marie, and William C. Davidson and wife Louise, of Georgia, sons and wives David and Dora (Roswell, GA) and Bill and Dale Rice (Georgetown, MA) and four grandchildren. Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Frank (1996) and eldest brother, Jack Davidson. Her family would like to express their appreciation to the loving and caring staff at Brookdale Big Creek and Dynamics Hospice.