Eleanor Newcomb Rice

Eleanor Coleman Newcomb Rice, 93, died Friday, July 20, in Greensboro, her residence for six weeks. For more than 65 years, she happily resided on the Mile Straight in Candler, in the home built by her late husband, Charles Mauck Rice. Eleanor treasured Candler history and traditions, preserving stories in tape recordings and home movies. She delighted in taking photographs her entire life. Nothing pleased her more than sharing her extensive documentation. Her scrapbooks are legendary, and historians sought her out for her knowledge. She loved building rock walls and regretted giving up her riding mower more than her driver’s license. She was born October 12, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Charles and Bertha Newcomb. She revered her three older brothers and ensured that younger generations appreciated their unique talents as photographers, broadcasters, and public relations professionals. When Eleanor was a youngster, her family bought a house in a cove near Mt. Pisgah, where she learned to love the people and customs of Western North Carolina. Her father, then a professional public speaker, traveled the nation addressing civic and business groups, while her mother maintained a loving home for the family. The Newcombs spent summers in North Carolina and returned to Delaware, Ohio, during the school year. Eleanor graduated from high school in Ohio in 1942. Upon graduation from Ohio Wesleyan University, she returned to North Carolina where she applied her talents in the advertising department at Ivey’s. In 1948, she married Charles Rice, an engineer with the American Enka Co. Later, Eleanor became a Girl Scout leader, was active in the Valley Garden Club, and enjoyed her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters. Eleanor and Charles Rice were the parents of three children: Charles Geoffrey Rice of Houston, Texas; Nancy Rice Lassiter of Greensboro (husband Tom); and Susan Mary, who died in infancy. Other survivors include Ben Lassiter (grandson), his wife Alexandrea, and their son, Alistair, of Mebane; Stephen Lassiter (grandson) and his fiancé, Sarah Gonzalez, of Brooklyn, New York; and numerous nieces and nephews. Stan Woods of Candler is an honorary grandson. The family greatly appreciates Mountain Home Care, and Hospice in Asheville and Greensboro. They are angels among us. Services will be held at 2:00 pm Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at Montmorenci United Methodist Church in Candler. Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting the family.