RICE, Mary

January 1, 1922 February 21, 2023 Ms. Mary Frances Rice has passed from us, and we know heaven will be a brighter place upon her arrival. Mary Frances was born on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1922, and acknowledged as the first child born in Atlanta that year. She passed on Fat Tuesday, February 21, 2023; a lifetime spanning over 101 years. She was dearly loved by her family and will be missed by those blessed to have had her in their life. Mary Frances graduated from Commercial High School in Atlanta, GA. She loved to read, covering several books a week and in doing so became a fantastic word speller. Mary Frances worked as an administrative officer for the Social Security Department until retirement. She traveled extensively with her family, who affectionately called her “Sister” more often than by her given name, and visited most likely every state in the union as well as Canada and Cuba. She was a lifetime member of the Atlanta First United Methodist Church and loved the church and its parishioners. She was a kindhearted person with a fondness for animals and always named her pets by the color of their hair. Her black cat was "Blackie", her white cat named "Whitey" (even though he wasn’t all white) and so on...Mary Frances loved to be active and photographed everything. She was never to be without her camera during a family function, event or vacation setting. She was an avid sports fan who especially enjoyed professional hockey. Being a season ticket holder it was a common site to see her being escorted to the Atlanta Thrashers games by her nephew Alan Tolbert. Gardening was another passion of hers, spending hours tending to plants and flowers that made her home in the Virginia Highland Community a beautiful green space. Mary Frances is survived by her brother, Charles Crowley Rice; and her sister, Betty Ann Tolbert. Nieces, Jane Kathern Rice (James Horwitz) and LeeAnn Tolbert-Sheets (Donald (George) Sheets). Nephews, Charles David Rice (*Rita Rice) and Ernest Alan Tolbert (Cherie Tolbert). Visitation and Memorial service will be held at Patterson Funeral Home (Oglethorpe) on Monday, February 27, 2023. Visitation to begin at 1:30 PM and the Memorial Service at 2:00 PM; followed by a private family burial at Crest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery immediately afterward. It was her wish that, in lieu of flowers, a donation to the Atlanta Humane Society be made with love on her behalf. *(now in heaven)