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Jean Rice, 60
Pioneering business woman & educator
Jean Rice, 60, of Forestdale, formerly of Provincetown, died at her home on Aug. 19 after a year-long struggle with cancer.
A woman of enormous energy and good cheer, Ms. Rice was the president of The Bridgeview School in Sagamore, a Montessori school she co-founded in 1999. She spent most of her earlier career in the high-tech world around Boston and was widely involved in voluntary work in adoption services and education, mental health services, hospice, AIDS care and in women’s groups. She was also a foster parent.
A native of Tomah, Wis., Ms. Rice came to Boston in the late 1960s. In 1974 she became one of the first two women to earn an MBA from Northeastern University. She was a talented artist and in later years studied art therapy at Lesley College. She earned her undergraduate degree at Dominican College in Racine, Wis.
After earning her MBA, Ms. Rice joined Polaroid Corp. in Waltham, where she held a number of managerial positions and became the first woman to supervise a production line at the company. She later became manufacturing manager for Dynamics Research Corp. in Wilmington, director of the Aviation Products Division of Pacer Systems in Burlington, and vice president of manufacturing and vice president of engineering at Kurzweil Music Systems in Waltham.
Ms. Rice enjoyed visiting Provincetown beginning in the late 60s, often staying at the White Horse Inn. After retiring from Kurzweil she moved to Provincetown with her husband, Palmer D. True. They were married here on the beach in 1984, and chartered the Schooner Hindu for their reception. They lived in a condo until they bought a house on Creek Hill Road in 1985, and they remained here year-round for five years.
The couple adopted two boys, who were baptized in the Provincetown Methodist Church. They later decided to move to Sandwich, ultimately settling in Forestdale with their twin sons, though Provincetown always held a special place in their hearts.
“We just loved the people in Provincetown and the never-ending scenery. We loved everything about Provincetown,” said her husband.
Throughout her life Ms. Rice was known to her friends and the many people she helped as a cheerful and endlessly giving person. In addition to serving on the boards of trustees of The Adoption Center in Cambridge and the Women’s Technical Institute in Boston, she spent years as a foster parent and providing care to a friend dying of AIDS.
In addition to her husband of 22 years, she is survived by her sons, Nathaniel J. and Noah J. True; a sister, Elizabeth Colman of Sandwich; stepchildren Ellen (True) DiCerbo of Holden, Bruce D. True of Newburyport, and Brian P. True of Swartz Creek, Mich.; and foster daughter Elizabeth Katehis of Mashpee.
Calling hours will be from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, Route 6A, Sandwich. The funeral will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, followed by interment in the Town of Sandwich Cemetery, Route 130.
A celebration of Jean Rice’s life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Oak Crest Cove Resort, Quaker Meetinghouse Road, Sandwich.
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Ruth (Wilkins) Alexander, 85
Leroy Francis Bent Sr., 89
Dorothy Barrett Flanagan, 95
Peter J. Perry, 78
John Everett White, 66
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Aug 24th, 2006