Suzanne "Sue" Grace Rice

On Friday, January 5th, 2024, Suzanne “Sue” Grace Rice, age 60, died peacefully in her home surrounded by family in Safety Harbor, Florida. She courageously fought Ovarian Cancer for the past three and a half years. Sue was a wife, mother, grandmother and loving friend. She is irreplaceable and is greatly missed. Her life was marked by service, compassion, love, and selflessness. She is gone too soon; however, has absolutely left this world a better place.

Sue is survived by her husband of 39 years, Alan Christopher Rice; her daughter, Rebecca Claire Cash; her son, Christopher James Rice; grandchildren Bennett Lee Cash and Nora Leigh Cash; and golden doodle, Sasha. She was preceded in death by her mother, Ottilie Bain; father, Reginald Bain; sister, Sylvia Bain; and brother, Michael Bain.

Sue was born in Pewsey Wiltshire, UK and grew up in Yate. She met her husband, Alan, by true fate on Platform 13 at Waterloo Train Station, in 1981 at the age of 18. She was in nursing school at the time, and he was in the Royal Navy. They both had missed their trains, and met whilst waiting for the next one. They were engaged 6 months later and the rest is history. Their life together was full of happy memories.

Sue and Alan moved to the United States on New Years’ Eve in 1989. She took a travel nursing job in Largo, Florida, where they quickly learned to love the state. They soon built their family home in Safety Harbor, where they have so many beautiful memories. They brought home and raised both of their children there. Sue was initially working as an ICU nurse, however made a career change and became a Hospice nurse, where she dedicated 28 years of compassionate service. Throughout her time at Hospice she served many roles, and ultimately became the Director of Quality and The Patient Experience. She was perfect for that job. She was beyond dedicated to her patients and her role in Hospice, and has passed on her skills of kindness and empathy towards others throughout her years of teaching.

Sue had the most wonderful gift of making everyone she met feel instantly loved. She was beyond devoted to her family and friends. One of her sayings was “to have a good friend, you have to be a good friend” - and boy, did she have SO many friends. She loved to cook and entertain, and threw the best dinner parties. She was even considered quite the match-maker, having introduced numerous friends that eventually became happy couples. She was always the life of the party. She loved to dance. She loved to exercise, and you could always catch her at the early morning spin class. She loved butterflies and walking on the beach. She was the best grandmother (aka Gigi) to her two precious grand-babies. Her legacy will forever live on through her friends and family, and her hospice family.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:

Empath Health: https://suncoasthospicefoundation.org/donations2/

Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute: https://www.tgh.org/foundation/giving/make-a-gift (select "Cancer Institute" as the designation)

A visitation for Sue will be held Friday, January 26, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 2853 Sunset Point Rd, Clearwater, FL 33759.

A celebration of life will occur Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park and Funeral Home. To watch service live: https://vimeo.com/user163466947