Dale L. Rice

Dale Laverne Rice, 60 of Devils Lake ND passed away on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at his home.

Dale Laverne, son of Hilmer and Mary Jane (Olson) Rice was born on July 11, 1963 in North Dakota. He was reared and educated in the Karlsruhe, ND area. He lived for a time in Montana, Oregon, Arizona and North Dakota.

Much of his working life was as a manager for Dillards, where he rose up through the ranks very quickly. He was at one time married to Christina, the love of his life.

Dale had to overcome many demons and addictions in his life. He was thankful each day for the love and support of his family, who loved him unconditionally, who helped in anyway they could and treasured the 60 years they had Dale in their lives as a blessing from God.

Dale is survived by his brother Kevin and sister Linda Fay Black; nieces Ayla Marie (Sean) Duffield, Krysta (Brandon) Gurth and Jerilyn (Alex) Galt; great nieces and great nephews Kaelyn, Jordan, Ella; Gabriella, Liliana, Caiden; Weston; many beloved cousins in North Dakota and Oregon.

He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings Orville Rice, Elaine Wass, Daryl Rice, niece Chynna Wass, nephew Zachary Black and many aunts and uncles.

Dale Laverne Rice

To All:

From Kevin Rice and Linda Fay Black here is a little about our brother Dale and we wish to be a voice to help those who struggle with addiction. This is the truth written from the heart.

Dale moved from a very dark, troubled time in his life when he needed family. He made a phone call to his sister Linda, others who were left in the family weren’t ready to help. Kevin, Linda’s oldest brother, also reached out and was also going through quite a bit. Linda then told them to come to Arizona and she would help them. She was very single, pregnant, and looked forward to having family.

Linda helped them begin a new life. She helped them get away from the Demons and start fresh. Their mother Mary came and stayed to support and help as well. She also wanted to support Linda’s pregnancy and meet this grandchild so badly.

Dale found himself and became an over-achiever immediately. He started working for a company called Dillards. He absolutely was a burst of energy. He found happiness again. He would make us laugh constantly! Dale seemed to always have something fun up his sleeve. We would just wait for what was next.

He knew my deaf sister Elaine hated bugs. He sent her a live cock roach from Arizona that he caught and mailed to ND. That is just one example. Dale had this certain charisma about him. People were drawn to him like a magnet. Our Dad, Hilmer had that as well.

Dale was quite the track star in High School. Well known and popular in Karlsruhe, ND. To make a long story short about our brother Dale. It didn’t take long for Dale to rank up to being a great manager for Dillards in Phoenix, AZ. This is where he met Chrsitina, the love of his life.

He was also the one who would guess the exact amount of jelly beans in a jar, feathers in a box, buy a random lottery ticket and win, go to a Casino in Reno, Nevada and stick $2.00 in a machine and walk out with $200.00. All of us siblings called him Lucky! Some called him “Lucky Bastard!” The very best thing about our brother Dale is, he stayed honest! No matter what he always told the truth.

Alcohol is an issue in our family. Many of our siblings have died from this horrifying disease. Addiction is a true Demon. Two of us out of six realized this is nothing worth playing with. Moderation or just don’t do it.

Kevin and Linda have been trying to save Dale and get him to treatment. Linda was so busy being Bossy that she missed out on saying the important things and sharing her love. Let that be a lesson to all! Life can change in the blink of an eye!

In all honesty, if Dale wouldn’t hadn’t fallen back into addiction, many good things would have happened. Kevin and Linda have realized that maybe we could help others. We have realized, anyone struggling with addiction, PLEASE GET HELP!!!

We can choose to have a good life. We are all special people and children of God! We can all be great! It’s about choices! Choose wisely!!!

Love to all! Thank You! Kevin Rice and Linda Fay Black.