Irene Marie Rice

Irene Marie Rice, age 36, of Wellington, Ohio passed away on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Irene Marie Rice was born on April 8th, 1988. She was the fifth child born to Deborah Lynn Rice and Roger Alden Rice Jr and was delivered in Westlake, OH at St John Westshore Hospital. She spent her first few years of life in Lakewood, OH with three older sisters, Erica, Sarah, and Samantha, and her oldest brother, James(Jim). She was a beautiful baby and was carried around by many of her siblings. Irene moved with her family to Sabetha, KS in 1991. A baby brother, Uriah, was born and would complete the family in 1992. She was no longer the baby Irene, and ,like most children, wanted to be included with the older sisters and be loved. Irene started Kindergarten in Sabetha, KS. Sabetha was a very small town with only a population of around 2500 people. The neighbors looked out for each other and the environment was safe. Irene and her sisters and brothers enjoyed a lot of freedom there. She loved riding her bike to town(a few blocks over), to the AC pond, and just about anywhere she pleased. Deborah received phone calls often informing her of Irene’s whereabouts. She was not afraid of anything. In 1994 the family made a huge move from Sabetha, KS back to OH.

After living with family for a short time, they moved into their West 89th downstairs apartment in Cleveland, OH. With only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, they were all very close. Irene attended school at Westside Baptist Christian School for first and second grade. She was so bold and brave even at 6 years old. She confronted our neighbor Crystal once and scolded her about smoking, even though she was so much older than her and very tall. In 1996, Irene and her family made the last big family move to Penfield, OH. She started 3rd grade at Penfield Elementary School. Irene started to have her confrontational character very early in life. While in elementary school, her teacher scolded her for talking. Irene explained to her the truth was that she wasn't talking and her classmate tapped her on the shoulder asking for a pencil, and she was just going to give her a pencil. Her teacher wouldn't believe her and called her a liar. She told her she was going to be punished for arguing with her and sent her to the office, but Irene wouldn't have it. She chose to not go to the office, but left the school and walked home.

Even early in life, she would fight for what she believed was right. Irene attended middle school at Keystone and met her best friend Abby, whom she stayed close friends with even though they did not agree all the time and Amanda, whom she considered a role model, but lost contact with after high school. Her oldest brother James had his first child in 1998, when Irene was only 10 and she became an Aunt for the first time. She was sort of a big sister again, though. Soon all her sisters would start having their families too. Erica met Jason King and they had Gypsy in 1999, and Garret came in 2001 just before Irene started high school. Irene attended Keystone High School in Lagrange, OH. She was in Choir for all 4 years and loved music. She loved being an aunt and big sister. Irene was a defender of her little brother Uriah when he was little. She would make sure no one bullied him and would always be a defender of what's right. She took him places with her and never wanted him to feel excluded. She was fearless about speaking her mind and standing up for what is right. No one would bully her family, except Irene. Her sister Sarah met Eli Wisecup and gave birth to Angel in 2003 and Lily in 2005. Irene was able to travel to Europe with her school her senior year. She traveled to Rome, visited the castles, met the Queen and the Pope, traveled to France, England, and many other places. She had a European tour for 5 weeks. Irene graduated from High School in June of 2006.

Irene knew that her future choices were important. She had watched her older siblings get married and start families very young, and she was able to see the consequences of those actions. She had determined at a young age that she was not going to marry any man that would try to control her. She never married. Samantha met Ben Rhodes and gave birth to Autumn in July of 2006 and Erica had her third child Bella on the 1st of July that same year. In 2007 Eli Moses was born to Sarah just a month after Jacob was born to Jim and Steph. Irene was only 20 years old and already was an aunt to 9 nieces and nephews. After high school, Irene pursued some classes at LCCC, in psychology, religion, and other prerequisites, but ended up leaving and entering the workforce instead. In 2007, her first job was as an assistant at Wellington Manor in Wellington, OH. She really enjoyed doing activities with the residents there as well as helping feed them and improve the quality of their lives. She worked there with her older sister Samantha for a few years till they closed in 2009. Nathan was born to Jim in 2009 and Summer was born to Sarah that same spring of 2009. Then Samantha had Chloe the winter of 2009. Taking the nieces and nephews count to 12.

Irene enlisted with the Marines in November of 2009. She wanted to serve her country and as a bonus, have her college paid for, so she could get into Social Work. She thought she would be deployed after Christmas, in the New Year, but they told her she would have to leave in just two weeks. She didn't want to miss Christmas with her family, and believed they lied about the deployment terms, so she pulled out and changed plans. In 2010 Irene decided to work in Customer Service at the local gas station. Sarah would have her last daughter Ruby in 2011 completing her family. Jim had Caleb in 2012. Erica would complete her family in 2013 with Hazel-Lynn. Irene, named after her Aunt Irene. Jim completed his family with Judah born in 2014, and Samantha completed her family with Oliver born in 2015. 17 nieces and nephews! Irene would bounce from gas station to gas station working in Customer Service making sure that the stores she ran were protected from any theft, vandalism, or loitering. She wouldn't hesitate to contact the local police if she believed someone was becoming unruly. Not would she hesitate if she felt she had to take it in her own hands. Confrontation was not an issue for Irene.

In 2016 Irene decided to work with the MRD Community through a Company called Triad. She wanted to advocate for those who couldn't speak for themselves. ‘Stand Strong Against Wrong’ was a quote she would often say, to encourage others to stand up for the helpless and weak in their lives. Irene worked at Triad up until a year before she died. She cared for many people that needed someone to speak on their behalf as well as assist them with daily tasks. She loved knowing she had made a difference in someone's life each day. Since she had no children of her own, taking care of her Clients, was a personal joy for her and in many ways she felt like their mother. Some of Irene’s favorite things were being an aunt, her friends, music(Queen), I love Lucy, going to North Carolina for Decoration every year to see family, “Coffee”, and fighting for what she believed was right. In 2020 Irene paid for her mother and sister Sarah to take a Cruise to the Bahamas with her. She was so generous and never once asked for anything in return. Not even a thank you. Unfortunately, when Irene returned from that Cruise, she started to experience pseudoseizures on a regular basis. This made life very difficult for her as she struggled to seek out a solution. In 2022, Jim’s oldest Wyatt gave birth to Terone lll and Irene was a great aunt for the first time.

The last year of Irene’s life she was doing what she loved best, giving 24/7 attention and care to her Great Aunt Patricia Caine. She made it her mission to assist her in the desire to live as independent as possible and not live in a nursing facility. She ended up doing Social Work after all. Irene fought relentlessly to keep Aunt Pat from being forced to live in a nursing home rather than be cared for in her own apartment with assistance from a caregiver. Doctor appointments and court dates for Aunt Pat, she handled all on her own, making sure she received the best possible care. Irene died in her sleep on May 20th 2024. Her life impacted many people's lives for better and worse and she loved her family and friends in the good and the bad. She was way more controversial than most people, but she loved people more than most people. She loved JESUS and knew that HE paid the price for her sin. Irene is with the LORD now and we are grateful for her.

Loving daughter to Deborah Rice and Roger Rice Jr.; cherished sister to James Rice, Erica King, Sarah Rice, Samantha Rhodes (Ben) and Uriah Rice. Beloved Aunt to Wyatt, Gypsy, Garret, Angel, Lily, Bella, Autumn, Jacob, Eli, Nathan, Summer, Chloe, Caleb, Ruby, Hazel, Judah, Oliver and Great Aunt to Terone III. Devoted caretaker to her Aunt, Patricia Caine.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, June 2, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM with a memorial service beginning at 3:30 PM at Corrigan Craciun Funeral Home, 23040 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake, Ohio 44145.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Irene’s name may be made to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/ , The Salvation Army at https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/ , or American Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/