Sarah B. Rice

Sarah B. Rice succumbed to natural causes on October 18, 2024 at her home in St Marys Kansas at the age of 101.

Sarah Winter Buckner Rice was born June 9, 1923 at Elon College, North Carolina to Ernest Clayton Buckner and Mary Hughes Buckner. She attended Elon College (now Elon University) and married William H. Rice of Buffalo, Kansas on June 5, 1945 after he returned from serving with the 1st Infantry Division of the US Army in World War II.

Sarah’s older brother Woody’s division “Hell on Wheels” served beside her future husband’s division “The Big Red One” when the two divisions fought side by side. Woody showed Bill Rice a picture of his beautiful sister Sarah during some down time and Bill asked Woody’s permission to write Sarah. When Woody was killed in action, it was a letter from Sarah that informed Bill of her brother’s death. When the war was over, Bill traveled to North Carolina to pay his respects to his buddy Woody’s family and the rest was history. Sarah was blessed with a wonderful husband, a classic war story, and a life-long romance.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband Bill; two brothers James Woody Buckner (KIA 2nd Armored Division “Hell On Wheels”/Battle of the Bulge/Belgium/1944) and Clayton Hughes Buckner, along with her three sisters Mary Evelyn (V.G.) Winfrey, Ernestine (George) Brammer, and Ann (Bill) Terrill.

Sarah is survived by her four children Sarah (“Sally”) Cloutier, Jane Lindley (Myron) Lake, William Hiram (Barbara) Rice, and Mary Angela (Andy) Bratrud along with six grandchildren Marla Christine Cloutier (Jerry) Minihan, William Hiram (Whitney) Rice, Zackary Buckner. (Heather) Rice, Lindley Callie Mueller, Charlene Kimberly Mueller and Cherokee Winter Johnson. Sarah leaves behind 13 great grandchildren, one great great granddaughter, and a wealth of nieces and nephews she loved and enjoyed. Sarah was proud of her hard-working and successful progeny but most of all enjoyed their humor and devotion to family.

The Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, November 1 at 10 a.m. in St Mary's Chapel at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603. Private interment will take place at Leavenworth National Cemetery at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations might be made to St Marys Manor Memorial Fund.