Muriel Kanahele Tice

Muriel K. Tice, 96, died peacefully on October 6, 2023; five years and one day less than her beloved husband, Richard C. Tice. Muriel was born in Honolulu, HI where she attended Lincoln Elementary School and was the eldest of four children. She graduated from Kamehameha High School where she watched the bombing of Pearl Harbor from her dormitory, on Sunday, December 7, 1941. She helped build awareness of the calamity, walking through Honolulu shouting, “Extra!” to distribute the supplemental edition of the Honolulu newspaper recounting the devastating events.

Muriel graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where she was a proud member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She also earned a Master of Education degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Muriel married Wallace M. Harding, had two sons, Wally and Ralph, and returned to Honolulu as a single mother. It was there she met the love of her life, Richard “Dick” Tice, a young Marine from Columbus, Ohio, who was smitten with her from the start. Dick was always proud to say he proposed to her “out back of the BOQ” (“Bachelor Officer Quarters”) shortly after they met on a blind date in November, and they were married the following year on February 28, 1957. They lived on Mokumanu Street in the small community of Lani Kai on the island of Oahu and returned to Ohio to follow Dick’s career in the family insurance business. It was there, that Muriel and Dick completed their family, adding three more children, Herman, Hillary and Phyllis. That’s when her life got even more interesting!

Raising a family in the 1960’s and 70’s, with a husband who was too proud to let an ambitious woman work outside the home, was the fuel Muriel needed to begin her incredible journey as a community volunteer. She was a founding member of the Buckeye Boys’ Ranch Service Board in 1960. She went on to serve as president of the boards of Rosemont Center and the Harding-Evans Foundation. Other boards and countless hours were devoted to Action for Children, Childhood League, Directions for Youth, Buckeye Boys’ Ranch, Northwest Counseling Services, Columbus Public Schools, the Columbus Symphony Women’s Association and the Women’s Board of the Columbus Museum of Art. Her dedicated service culminated to recognition as a YWCA Woman of Achievement in 2001.

Muriel always found time to be a loving wife to Dick and to balance his penchant for being early with a persistent habit of being late. She made countless batches of hamburger casserole and chocolate chip cookies; let the dogs out in the morning and kenneled them at night; ironed the family’s sheets and pillowcases; and shuttled kids to school, sports, Scouts, music lessons, church and friends’ houses. She led by example and lived the virtues of “keeping a smile on your face and a song in your heart.” She also instilled the values of respect, gratitude, doing your best, caring for others, and never saying, “Shut up.”

Muriel was preceded in death by her parents Francis Ho’oka’amomi Kanahele and Annie Asam Kanahele, sister Patsy Anne Kinolu Hicks, brother Francis Lono Kanahele, sister-in-law Martha Tice Glendenin and brother-in-law Donald R. Dawson. She is survived by her dear sister Beatrice “Beadie” Kanahele Dawson, devoted brothers-in-law Gilbert W. Hicks and Donald D. Glendenin, and her loving children Wallace (Josephine), Ralph (Nancy), Herman, daughter-in-law Janet, Hillary (George) and Phyllis (Scotty). She is also blessed with grandchildren Collin, Malia (Phil), Mason, Stuart (Sara), Campbell (Elaine), Walker, Wesley and Leilani; great grandson Koa and soon-to-be great granddaughter Isabelle (due in November), and nieces and nephews across the continent and in Hawaii, whom she loved, and who love her dearly.

The family expresses its sincere thanks to the staff and residents at The Sanctuary at Tuttle Crossing who helped Muriel feel loved and “at home” for the last two years. They also thank the care team from Capital City Hospice who brought extra care and comfort to Muriel’s final time. Special thanks to James Barr, MD, who cared for Muriel’s primary medical needs for more than 30 years and to his wife Martha Barr, LSW and Sanctuary Staff Member, who helped Muriel throughout her Sanctuary stay, and assisted the family as if they were members of her own.

Friends and family members are invited to Calling Hours on Friday, November 10, 2023 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221. A Celebration of Life and Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 11, 2023 at First Community Church North Campus, 3777 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43221 at 10:00 a.m. Those wishing to make donations in Muriel’s honor can choose the First Community Foundation or any of the other organizations where she devoted her time and talents. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share memories and condolences.