Mary Katharine Rice

Mary Katharine Rice age 68 of Annapolis passed away from breast cancer Monday, June 3, 2019 at Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Rebecca Fortney Inpatient Care Center in Pasadena, Maryland. She was born March 5,1951 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She is predeceased by her parents Robert M. Rice and Helen Meloy Rice of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Katharine is survived by her sister Gwen Fuller and brother-in-law Ralph Fuller of Wilmington, Delaware, her nephew Karl Fuller and his wife Maureen, of Belchertown, Massachusetts, Peter Fuller and his wife Carolyn of Chicago, Illinois, and three grandnephews, Patrick, Brian, and Matthew and one grandniece, Shannon. Katharine graduated from Elizabethtown Area High School and Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania receiving a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She attended Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to become a deaconess following her clinical pastoral education at Massachusetts General Hospital. As deaconess, she served in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Canada in the Lutheran Church. Then she obtained a Master of Divinity Degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary and was ordained as a United Church of Christ pastor. She served many years as a pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran UCC in Baltimore, Maryland and at St. Paul’s UCC in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. She returned to Maryland to work ten years as a chaplain at Hospice of the Chesapeake in Annapolis. She also held the position of secretary on the board of the Greater Annapolis Ministerium. At the time of her death she was serving as pastor of Messiah United Church of Christ in Baltimore. In addition to her career, Katharine enjoyed baking and crafts. She volunteered on mission trips, at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and, in her special passion, cat shelters. Her cat Tiger has been lovingly placed in good hands. Katharine’s zest for life brought joy and laughter. She had vocal training in her early years which shined in her singing. Exemplifying the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Katharine was a creative and inventive teacher; sharing her knowledge, skills, and wisdom with young and old alike. Through a keen understanding of people, her focus was always on the well-being of others. Her generous nature routinely went the extra mile to meet their needs. She wholeheartedly embraced everybody, including their pets. Many a pet will miss her readily available treats. She is a light that will be missed. A memorial service will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 2114 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to SPCA of Anne Arundel County, 1815 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403 or through their website at aacspca.org. Special memories and condolences may be shared at www.simplicitycfs.com.

Mary Katharine Rice

March 5, 1951 - June 3, 2019