Rosalie Johnston (Fox) Rice

Rosalie (Fox) Johnston Rice, 87, of Eagle, Idaho, and formerly of Union County, died Jan. 24, at her son's home in Huntington Beach, Calif., after a four-month battle with cancer.

A celebration of life will begin at 11 a.m. Feb. 7 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Newport. A short graveside service will follow at the Chelan Abbey Mausoleum and Columbarium in Newport.

Rosalie was born Sept. 5, 1921, to George and Martha (Weis) Fox (later remarried and became Martha Norris) in Elgin. She was raised in La Grande and graduated from La Grande High School in 1939. She married her high school sweetheart, Bill Johnston (Class of '38) on Feb. 14, 1942.

During the war, Rosalie worked as a timekeeper at the Swan Island Shipyard in Portland while her husband was away in the Navy serving in the South Pacific. Her only son was born in 1946, and she spent the following 36 years in Portland. She and her husband were members of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Portland, and her son attended Central Catholic High School and Oregon State University during that time. She returned to the work force in 1958 and was employed as a sales manager for Sears in southeast Portland for the next 25 years, retiring in 1983.

After retirement, Rosalie and Bill found the perfect location for their "dream home" in the Makai Development near Seal Rock. They built their retirement home overlooking the ocean and were joined by Bill's older brother, Earl, who lived next door, and his twin brother, Willard, who moved to the area one street away. Rosalie was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the local Garden Club.

Rosalie cared for her mother, Martha, until her death in 1988 and for Bill during his battle with cancer that ended with his passing in 1989.

Rosalie married Matt Rice from Huckleberry Hill across the road in 1991. They lived in Rosalie's house until she joined Matt when he returned to his lifelong home near Boise in 2002. She spent her final years fishing near Matt's cabin on Lake Cascade and enjoying the summer reunions with her large extended step-family and her two grandchildren.

Rosalie is survived by her husband, Matt, of Eagle, Idaho; son, David Johnston of Huntington Beach; two grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Lisa Johnston of Huntington Beach; six stepchildren, Carleen Plodinec, Judy Riley and Nancy Chester, all of Seattle, Ivan Rice and Jeannie Peterson, both of Boise, and Christy Holtman of White Salmon, Wash.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

.