Margaret Koontz Rice

Margaret Rice, a resident of The Village at the Summerville Presbyterian Home, died March 28, 2011.  She was born Margaret Wrenn Koontz on August 27, 1920 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the daughter of Hercules Lee Koontz and Corday Olive Koontz.  Mrs. Rice graduated summa cum laude from Greensboro College in 1941, with a double major in French and Music.  She later received a Masters Degree from Columbia University in 18^th Century French Philosophy.

She was married to Edward A. Rice, now deceased, for 43 years.  They had two children, a son, Dr. Edward A. Rice, Jr. of Morganton, NC; a daughter, Mrs. Peggy Rice Gerling of Biburg, Germany; and four grandchildren; Margaret Rice, of South Royalton, Vt; Corday Rice Grammer of Seattle, WA; Peter Gerling, of Mount Pleasant, SC; and Diana Gerling of Germering, Germany.  She is survived by her children, her grandchildren, a sister Martha Koontz Hearn of Rock Hill, SC, and four nephews: George M. Hearn, Jr. of Conway, SC, Peter Lee Hearn, Sr. of Conway, SC, John Judson Hearn of Columbia, SC and Andrew Wrenn Hearn of Alpharetta, GA.  She was predeceased by her sister, Olive McBryde Koontz.

Mrs. Rice lived in Clemson, SC from 1952 until 1966, where she taught piano and was a member of the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church.  She then lived in Greenville, SC from 1966 to 1985, where she taught French and served as head of the Humanities Department of Greenville Technical College, and was founding Dean of the Arts and Sciences Division.  While in Greenville, she was a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Red Cross.  In 1999, Mrs. Rice was honored by receiving the Honors Program Endowed Scholarship.  From 1985 until 2006, Mrs. Rice resided in Mt. Pleasant, SC, where she continued Red Cross work and was a founding member of the Shepherd's Center in the Charleston area.  She was also active in PEO, a philanthropic educational organization promoting women's education, and served as an elder at her church, First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston.

A memorial service in honor of Margaret Rice will be held at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 3, at 3:30 pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to the Shepherd's Center, P.O. Box 644, Charleston, SC 29402, First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401 or to the American Red Cross, Carolina Low Country Chapter, 8085 Rivers Ave., Suite F. North Charleston, SC 29406.