She was born on February 18, 1932, in Norwalk, Connecticut to John Benn and Maude Kern. She graduated from St. Agnes’ nursing school in Hartford, Connecticut. On January 19, 1951, she married the love of her life, William Rice. Together, they combined their skills to design and build many homes, while raising their six children. Maryhelen genuinely enjoyed her time working with infants at an orphanage and also worked for a doctor in Norwalk for many years.
In their later years, Maryhelen and William moved to Durham, Maine where they built their forever home. During her time in Maine, she made lifelong friends at L.L. Bean and even after retiring, she felt drawn to interact with people. She worked part-time as a cashier for Shaw’s Supermarket and thoroughly enjoyed the companionship of her customers and coworkers alike. Though she was humble in her accomplishments, she took great pride in being elected Employee of the Year at Shaw’s. Regardless of the task at hand or her age, she was always determined to remain young in spirit.
She was a devoted member of St. Jude Church in Freeport, ME and enjoyed singing in the choir for many years. She is remembered for her very charitable tendencies, never hesitating to donate her time and resources to any cause she strongly believed in.
She thoroughly enjoyed traveling and experiencing other parts of the world, including Ireland, Italy, and Australia. Music, particularly classical, was also a very large part of her life. It could most often be heard in the background at her house and during any car ride.
Maryhelen loved spending time at the family camp on Sebec Lake and sharing it with others. There, on a sunny day, she could be found reading a book on the beach, teaching her grandchildren how to swim, or enjoying a generous bowl of ice cream. During the evenings and rainy days at camp, she would challenge her family to a friendly, yet competitive game of Sequence or Checkers.
Her family would often describe her as “sharp as a tack.” She continuously challenged herself to maintain her quick wit. Not many days went by where she was not diligently completing a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, plugging away at a complex jigsaw puzzle or sewing. Often, she reminisced about the years of raising her children, where she would stay up all night sewing because she loved it so much and had to find creative ways to work it into her schedule. Additionally, she enjoyed gardening and baking, both of which she imparted much of her knowledge into her family members. More recently, she was most happy to just sit and “chat.”
She was honored to be a grandmother and it was a large component of her identity, so much so that she was lovingly known by the many in the community as “Granny.”
Maryhelen was predeceased by her husband, William J. Rice Jr, and two of her sons, David W. Rice and Timothy J. Rice. She is survived by her children, William J. (Brooke) Rice III, Jane E. Rice, Michael T. (Patricia) Rice, and Mathew C. (Lori) Rice; 17 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren with one more on the way; daughter in laws, Jane S. Rice and Lori A. Rice; and siblings John Benn, Patricia DeSorbo, and Kathy Vaupel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, February 12th at 11:00am at St. Jude Church, 134 Main St, Freeport, Maine. Masks are required.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Maryhelen’s name to:
The Dempsey Center (www.dempseycenter.org) or
Androscoggin Hospice House (www.androscoggin.org)
