Bette J. Rice

Bette J. Rice, 86, of Indianapolis, passed away Tuesday, December 26, 2017.  She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 38 years, James A. Rice, a brother (Lawrence E. Henderson), a sister, and her parents.  She is survived by her daughter, Laura (James) Oldfather; step-daughters, Linda (Dave) Cardwell and Karen Hoffman; 5 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; and several dear cousins.

Bette was born September 24, 1931, to Edna (Louder) Henderson and James Henderson in Sweetser, Indiana.  She graduated from Sweetser High School in 1949.  Bette was married to Lee M. Wiley from 1955 to 1958 and lived in Marion, Indiana, until moving to Indianapolis in 1960.  She was a legal secretary and office manager for several years before becoming the office manager at a Methodist church in the mid 1970s.  Bette worked at the church for around 20 years and then for the Murat Temple for a few years before retiring.

Bette was a Red Cross water safety instructor for approximately 15 years and an usher at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre for over 25 years.  She was a very good artist and primarily enjoyed painting with oils and acrylics.  She took many classes, most of which were art classes, through OASIS.  Bette also took great pride in tutoring elementary school children for over 20 years through an OASIS program.  She also enjoyed helping her husband with Lions Club events and the Indiana Daylily-Iris Society (IDIS) where she was the publicity coordinator.  Bette and her husband also loved traveling and visiting their families.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, January 6^th, at Flanner & Buchanan Washington Park East at 10722 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, to celebrate Bette’s life.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Tutoring Program at OASIS at 10800 E. Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46229 or online at https://www.oasisnet.org/Indianapolis-IN /  or the Indianapolis Downtown Lions Club at 110 E. Washington Street, Ste. 1101, Indianapolis, IN 46204 or online at https://indianalionsfoundationmd25.org/.