Shirley R. Rice, age 89 of Helena

On January 7, 2026, Shirley Rice, of Helena, Montana, beloved sister, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, died from complications related to her long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.  She was 89.

Shirley was born in November 1936, to Foster Murphy and Hazel Reed Murphy, in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Perry County, which hosts a section of the Appalachian Trail.  The youngest of five children, Shirley was raised in an idyllic rural setting.  Her parents were in the ministry, and she learned to play piano, organ and accordion at an early age, playing for church services while still in junior high school, and for musical performances given by her and her sister, Janet.  The “Murphy Sisters” played and sang at many services, rallies and church conventions across the region.  Shirley was part of the first class to graduate from Green Park Union High School in Perry County in 1955.  She was the first girl in her class to “get her diamond” during her senior year with her engagement to James Arthur Rice, a dashing U.S. Airman known primarily as “Jim” but to his family as “Art.”  They were married on July 30, 1955, in Landisburg, Pennsylvania, and were blessed with a wonderful life together, celebrating their 70^th wedding anniversary in 2025.

Jim’s military career took the couple on a tour of most of the country and beyond, including being stationed at Ramore Air Force Base in Ontario, Canada, where son Jim Jr. was born; to Cape Cod, New Jersey, the Florida Coast, the Deep South, the Rocky Mountain West, the Lakes of Minnesota, where son Doug arrived and, finally, to the eastern plains of Montana, where they were stationed at Glasgow and where Jim Sr. decided to retire from the Air Force, loving the open beauty of Montana and wanting to live here rather than any of the other many places they had seen.  Twice, Jim Sr. was sent on overseas military assignments lasting a year, and in his absence Shirley managed all home and family responsibilities alone.  In those years, the Christmas song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” brought her to tears.  Shirley pursued her own vocational career, working as a telephone operator for the “Ma Bell” companies, becoming a manager of operator services, and finishing her career with U.S. West, supervising and tracking the deployment of company equipment in Montana.   Shirley’s company transfer from Glasgow brought the family to Helena in 1978, and she retired from U.S. West in 1994.  Shirley and Jim spent their retirement years traveling the country in their RV and touring places around the world, in addition to chasing a growing brood of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Shirley was a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm.  In operator services, she worked daily split shifts of 9-1 and 6-10 for much of her career, seeing her sons off to school in the morning before going to work, coming home after her first shift to clean, launder, iron, mend, bake, shop, prepare dinner for her family, and greet her sons after school, and then returning to work in the evening for her second shift of the day, arriving home to see that her sons were tucked into bed.  She camped, fished, and hunted, bagging many large game animals and winning numerous large trophies for marksmanship in formal firearm shooting competitions.  Loving music, Shirley was a lifelong pianist and accompanist who played for church, choirs, weddings, funerals, and special performances, playing either by note or by ear.  One guest speaker exclaimed, “That Shirley Rice can play ANYTHING!”  She was a dedicated church volunteer, organizing events, directing choirs, administering Sunday School, leading youth groups, and teaching classes.  Many weekend evenings found her house filled with local teenagers looking both for a friendly place to hang out and eat, and to be gently yet uncompromisingly challenged to better themselves by someone who was not their parent.  Somehow Shirley also found time to write published book reviews in exchange for receiving a copy of the reviewed book, and in doing so, accumulated an extensive personal library.  She could recite poetry at length, and despite being significantly physically compromised by then, regaled the family from her wheelchair with an animated recitation of “A Visit by St. Nicholas” on Christmas Day 2025.  She was a friend, counselor and mentor to many people, especially to many young women who sought her out for relationship, career, parenting and spiritual advice.  She enjoyed preparing delicious holiday and weekly Sunday meals for her multi-generational family, and decorating her house for each turn of season, especially Christmas.  A fall from a chair while hanging Christmas decorations in the early 2000s led to a broken foot and a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, which she viewed as simply another challenge to overcome, even though she was repeatedly told the disease was incurable.  Incurable or not, she fought back against it with her typical determination and remarkably survived another twenty years.

Her life was an expression of her faith, the most important quality about her.  She loved others with the love she had received from Christ, and lived life with the joy of His Spirit.  She spent much time in Bible study and in praying for others.  She had no patience for foolishness and spoke frankly, believing that loving someone did not require putting up with their self-centeredness or bad attitudes.  She challenged people to work hard, expected one’s best effort, and accepted no excuses for a job half-done or done poorly.  “Whatever your hand findeth to do,” she quoted from scripture, “do it with all your might.”  She looked forward to the adventure that waited in heaven by God’s grace, and in her Bible classes inspired people to run the race for an audience of One and to finish strong, which she illustrated by her own life.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Foster Murphy, Jr., and William Murphy, and sister, Wilma Murphy Baum; and her great granddaughter, Lottie Coate.  She is survived by her sister, Janet (Wayne) Murphy Howell of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; her husband, Jim Sr., of Helena; sons Jim Jr (Norine) of Helena, and Doug of Kansas City, Missouri; grandchildren, Cassie (Lance) Rice Wetzel, Helena, Katie (Josh) Rice-Ahmann, Helena, Kari (Erik) Coate, Helena, and Melissa Naveda, of Wesley Chapel, Florida; great grandchildren, Kylee, Tevin, Titus, and Teidrik Wetzel, Helena; Jacky and Eden Guthrie, and Lilli Ahmann, Helena; Cormac, James Noel, Della, and Scout Shirley Coate, Helena; and Chanel, Mariah, Sophia and Jordan, Wesley Chapel; a large extended family, and many friends.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke and Retz Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. A reception will follow the service in the social hall of the funeral home.  Burial will take place at Forestvale Cemetery following the reception.

Service Schedule

Funeral Service

11:00 a.m.

Tuesday January 13, 2026

Anderson Stevenson Wilke and Retz Funeral Home

3750 N. Montana Ave

Helena, Montana 59602

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Reception

Following the Funeral Service

Tuesday January 13, 2026

Anderson Stevenson Wilke and Retz Funeral Home

3750 N, Montana Ave

Helena, Montana 59602

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Burial

Following the Reception

Tuesday January 13, 2026

Forestvale Cemetery

Helena, Montana 59602

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