Kathryn Laraine Spence Harper Rice

Reunited with her husband on February 7th. Age 84. Born May 9, 1933, to Hector Howell Harper and Kathryn Wright Robertson Spence in Salt Lake City, Utah. LaRaine was the seventh of nine children. She described her childhood as “outside privy, …Saturday night wash tub, using torn rags to curl your hair, and walking miles and miles to school in deep, deep snow, and wearing cardboard in shoes.”
She went to Blaine Junior High and remembered her school song until the very end. During her High School years she lived with her brother Don and his family in Salt Lake City.
After graduation, she went to work for the telephone company as a telephone operator.
She married Kenneth Bellamy Rice on May 1, 1953 and they were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on September 28, 1954. They had 7 children.
She was very active in the LDS church and was dedicated to her many church callings, of which her favorites included, nursery leader, chorister, genealogy teacher, choir leader, Relief Society President, Primary President, Young Women President, and devoted visiting teacher.
She worked as a lunch lady from 1976 until 1993 at Kearns, Granger, and Taylorsville high schools.
Kenneth and LaRaine served as missionaries in the Atlanta Georgia Mission. They also served multiple missions at the Family History Library, Member Locators, Humanitarian Center, and served as Temple ordinance workers in the Jordan River Temple, “the busiest temple in the world”.
She supported her children and grandchildren and was excited about their many achievements. She attended as many cub scouts and boy scout activities, 4H meetings, baseball games, rodeos, special performances, and graduations as possible. No matter what the accomplishment, she was their biggest and always the loudest cheerleader. She may not have been able to see them, but she always acted like she saw every detail.
She was an avid seamstress, she crocheted, and quilted. She started by making her own clothing in high school, and then clothing for her children, and she made hundreds of quilts throughout her life. She always had a quilt or many quilts being made. Every one of her children and grandchildren received a quilt.
She is survived by children, Eddie (Kathy), Kathryn (Mark Shelton), Laura, John (Sarah), Richard (Yvette), Ray (Laurie). Siblings and spouses, Joyce Harper, Darlene & Kenton Reid, Jack & Evelyn Harper, Rene Ann & Gary Cowman, 26 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandchild. Preceded in death by husband, Kenneth, George David (son), Don Anderson (son-in-law), parents, brothers Don, Ross, Robert, William & George, and great grandson Donnie.
We would like to give a special thank you to her nurse Soni, Encompass Hospice, and the staff at Summit Senior Living for the wonderful care that they gave to our mother over the last few months.
A viewing will be held at Redwood Memorial Mortuary (6500 S Redwood Rd), Monday, February 12, 2018 between 6-8 pm, and Tuesday, and February 13, 2018 at the LDS Kearns 10th Ward meeting house (5025 W. 4865 S) between 9:30-10:45 am. Funeral Services will be directly after at 11:00 AM. Interment will be at Redwood Memorial Cemetery (6500 S Redwood Rd).
Service Information
Viewing February 12, 2018 at 6:00 PM
6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah





Viewing February 13, 2018 at 9:30 AM
5025 West 4865 South, Kearns, Utah





Funeral Service
February 13, 2018 at 11:00 AM
5025 West 4865 South, Kearns, Utah