Donald Rice

Donald Ray "Don" Rice Sr. was born December 22, 1939, to John Rice and Bertha Margaret "Maggie" Foutch Rice. Don was the fifth of eleven children and grew up in a large family in rural Wagoner County, Oklahoma.

 The Rice family's early years were spent around Jackson Creek, now known as Jackson Bay, about 3 1/2 miles southeast of Wagoner. When Don was young, his grandparents, Fred and Rosa Rice, purchased a small farm south of Wagoner, and the family lived there for a time before moving farther south. They later moved to the Edward farm, about a mile east of the Brick School. The Brick School District was eventually incorporated into the Okay school district. 

While still in high school, Don went to work at the Fort Gibson Wildlife Refuge, later known as the Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge. It was one of his first jobs and the beginning of a lifetime of hard work.

 After high school, Don married Lynette Elaine Jennings, and the young couple moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they began building their life together. They became the parents of two children, Brenda Sue and Donald Ray Jr. The family later moved to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where Don and Lynette made their home.

 Don built a long career in the newspaper business, working as a pressman for the Tulsa World/Tribune for 45 years. It was a career that spanned much of his adult life and reflected the strong work ethic that began when he was still a teenager.

 Retirement didn't mean Don was finished working. After leaving the newspaper, he joined his older brother, Willie Fred "Billy" Rice, doing cabinetry and remodeling. It gave the two brothers the opportunity to work side by side later in life.

 When Don wasn't working, he loved to fish. Some of his favorite times were spent with a fishing pole in hand, whether at the family farm pond, Grand Lake, or Fort Gibson Lake. 

Don also loved traveling to Colorado with Lynette. They enjoyed staying at their cabin, visiting family, and spending time with their grandchildren. Those trips brought together so many of the things Don treasured family, the outdoors, and time spent with the people he loved.

 Don never lost his connection to Wagoner. He enjoyed going back to visit his brothers at the garage, seeing family, and returning to the area where so much of his life began.

 Don is survived by his wife, Lynette Elaine Rice; his children, Brenda Sue and Donald Ray Jr.; his son-in-law, Craig Allyn Johnson; his grandchildren, Melissa Sue Johnson and Connor Lain Rice; and his great-grandson, Nathan Ryan, along with his surviving brothers and sisters and many other family members who loved him.

The family will greet friends at a Visitation that will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. in the Chapel of Mallett Funeral Home.

The Funeral Service will be held to honor the life of Donald Rice on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 1:00 pm in the Chapel of Mallett Funeral Home. Pastor Brad Taylor will officiate.  

Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, Bennett Addition, in Wagoner, Oklahoma.  

The family of Donald Rice has entrusted his care and arrangements to Mallett Funeral Home and Crematory, 417 East Cherokee Street, Wagoner, Oklahoma, 74467.  918-485-2911