Billie Stewart Rice

Rice, Billie Stewart, passed away on March 28, 2011. She was born to Fred and Willie Smithers, June 26, 1922, in San Antonio, Texas, where she lived her entire life. Billie attended McKinley Elementary School and Mark Twain Junior High School both near Trinity University, and then attended Thomas Jefferson High School. Billie was in the Lassos Pep Squad and graduated with the Class of 1940. During her stint at San Antonio College, Billie, like so many girls of the time, married a serviceman, Jimmy Travis Rice of Greenville, Texas, on June 12, 1942. Jimmy spent his entire career in the real estate industry, was a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and passed away in 2005. During a wonderful 63 years of marriage, Billie and Jimmy traveled the entire U.S.A., Canada and Mexico, and all over the world & from Russia and Finland to India to Australia and New Zealand to Central and South America, Asia and Europe & even North Africa. They quite often went with friends and often with long-time friends Mary Louise and Fred Sumner. Billie and Jimmy on occasion spent Christmas in far-away lands & in Singapore and Kathmandu, Nepal, for example. Billie was a long-time member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio and was a volunteer with many San Antonio non-profit organizations. Among these were long stints with the Southwest School of Art and Craft and Green Door Thrift Shop, part of St. Luke’s Church. One of her favorite volunteer efforts was working at Hemisphere in 1968, often saying how much fun the entire fair was. She received her associate degree from San Antonio College and worked for Paul Anderson Company for many years. Billie is survived by two sons, three grandchildren and two step-grand children and nine great grandchildren and a wonderful family: youngest son Bill Rice, of San Antonio, and his daughter Dyan Rice of Austin; oldest son Steve Rice and his wife Sally of Norman, Oklahoma; grandsons Travis Rice and Jay Bratton and their wives Dara Rice and Amanda Bratton, of Norman, Oklahoma; granddaughters Amanda Rice Wise and Adrienne Bratton Barnes, and their husbands Casey Wise and David Barnes, Amanda of Norman, Oklahoma and Adrienne of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and nine great grandchildren, from oldest to youngest: Mason Rice, Emma Rice, Addison Rice, Hadley Wise, Jack Barnes, Anna Bratton, Kamryn Wise, Justice Bratton and Sam Barnes. Billie loved playing bridge and having lunch with her friends and classmates. The family asks that all memorials go to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 11 St. Luke’s Lane, San Antonio, TX 78209. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 11 St. Luke’s Lane, San Antonio,(210) 828-6425.

Arrangements under the direction of Sunset Funeral Home, San Antonio, TX.