Leonard Rice

Leonard Rice

80, of Libby

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Leonard D. Rice, 80,  passed away at his home in Libby on Sept. 15, 2015, after suffering from mesothelioma. Len was born Sept. 18, 1934, in Libby, and lived most of his life in the Libby area. Len was the eldest child of David E. and Ruth D. Nixon Rice. He graduated from Libby High School in 1953 and served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific. After his discharge, Len married Ruth M. Collier on March 15, 1958.Len served as a Montana State Highway Patrol officer in Jordan, Chester and Cut Bank. 

In 1965, Len moved his family back to Libby, and soon went to work as an undersheriff with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. Later, he worked at the Zonolite mine driving truck, operating a cat and a grader and then in the sheet metal shop where he worked his way up to the position of foreman. From the late ‘70s until 1993, Len worked as a millwright for Champion, in the plywood plant. 

Len then went to heavy equipment school and operated graders on road construction projects in Salmon, Idaho, Dillon and other local projects. For several years, Len worked for Harlow’s Bus Service. He picked up new school buses in Arkansas and Oklahoma and delivered them to Washington, Idaho and Montana locations. Len also drove buses for fire crews over several seasons.

Len was an avid hiker, hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed his artistic hobbies of painting, routing and painting signs, chainsaw carving and other woodworking. Len was active in the Libby Pioneer Society. In the late 1970s, Len started attending the Church of the Nazarene and gave his life to Christ. The ministries of the church were a large part of Len’s life during his later years.

Len is survived by his wife Ruth; all his siblings: Rainy (and Frank) Sichting, Shirley Snyder, Allan (and Kayty) Rice, Carolyn (and 0llie) Hamann, Dan (and Sally) Rice and Judy (and Harley) Teufert; his children Rex (and Gina) Rice, Kim (and Steve) James and Jon (and Kathy) Rice.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Nazarene. Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home in Libby.  Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.