Betsy Jane Rice

Betsy Jane Waddle Rice passed at Doctors West Hospital after an extended illness. She was born in December of 1932 in New Castle, PA. She is predeceased by her mother, Mary Eva Craig Waddle and father, Grant Waddle. Betsy graduated from Milan High School in 1951 and attended Ohio State University in Nursing . She left to go back home to help with her father who had cancer then came back to Columbus, OH and worked at The Columbus State Hospital as a Psychiatric Aide for over 30 years. She was an OCSEA Union Steward and she retired in 1990. Prior to her retirement, she worked at Lazarus downtown in the Annex and volunteered delivering blood for the American Red Cross, working the voting poles, passing out phone books and working in the office at Highland Elementary School. Betsy was an avid reader and loved to listen to music. She also loved to sew. She had such a spirited and kind heart and would always go out of her way to help others. One of her hobbies was sending get well cards, birthday cards anniversary cards, thinking of you cards and just checking on people to see how they were doing even if she didn’t know them that well. Her favorite past time was talking on the phone forever! Survivors include her husband, Edwin A. Rice; daughter, Rotonda M. Rice; and stepdaughter, Shirley Ann Payne Evans, all of Columbus, OH; her brother, Gorden C. Waddle of Hutchinson, KS; sister-in-laws, Ranelle Brown and Heidi (Marvin) Mallory; nieces, LaVita Brown, Brooklyn & Jaye’ Rawlings & Tasha Hoover; nephews, Keith & Daylon Poe; best friends forever, Pearl Gagg of Sandusky, OH and Naomi Salisbury of Columbus, OH; and her half way decent friend James Barker of Chicago, IL.