Caroline Mary Rice

Caroline Mary (Wylie) Rice was born on 18 August 1949 in Glencoe House Maternity Hospital, Argyllshire, Scotland, first daughter for Alan and Dorothy and sister for Alasdair, living in Kinlochleven then Fort William. Her brother Christopher was born in 1953. She attended the local schools until in 1956 when the family moved to Baie Comeau, Quebec, for Alan to continue work with the Canadian British Aluminium Company..

Caroline attended Baie Comeau High School and sang in the local church junior choir. Along with siblings and other emigre families she enjoyed 6 months long winters with all the attendant fun in the snow, and summers with bountiful blueberries from the surrounding bush, with blackfly instead of midges.

In 1960 the family moved to England where, after a short spell at primary school in South Croydon, Surrey, she went to Purley High School for Girls. Sister Sheena was born in 1963. At Purley Congregational Church Caroline was a Brownie, Guide, Junior Choir member and later participated enthusiastically in the Youth Club, where she made many lifelong friends. She also began amateur dramatics, often combined with singing in numerous musical productions over the years that followed (the first having been a BCHS production of “Oklahoma” in 1960).

On leaving school Caroline took a secretarial course but soon after enrolled to train as a nurse at St George’s Hospital, London, embarking on what was to be her life long career. As ever she made some good friends with whom she never lost touch.

Having qualified in 1970 Caroline experienced district nursing in London and worked on a heart research project on Teesside, then for a short time cared for her father Alan before his death in 1974. She soon moved to California to pursue a career in intensive care nursing, marrying Randall Gardner Rice in 1980 and giving birth to daughter Alison in 1983, by which time they were living in Torrance. Her granddaughters Bethany and Josephine, on whom she doted, were born in 2014 and 2017 to Alison and Jeremy Morales. Sadly, Randy passed in 2022.

Caroline had a passion for music, engendered and encouraged by her father, and was an enthusiastic chorister from a young age. She sang with other nurses and in church choirs, at times travelling extensively and making more new friends along the way.

She touched many people's lives during her 75 years, often significantly and enduringly. Her physical absence will take a very long time to absorb, but fond memories of her deeply kind nature, sometimes silly thought processes and frequent loud laughter will bring some comfort to the many people around the world who will miss her as a sincere and trusted friend.

Caroline died peacefully in Torrance on 22 October 2024 following a sudden and short illness.