Madlyn Lorene Rice died Saturday, January 28 at Hilltop Manor in Cunningham, KS, from complications of pneumonia.
Madlyn was born October 6, 1932 in Greensburg, Kansas to Sonia and Vernon Wirth and was raised on a farm outside of Greensburg. In addition to raising grain and livestock, her father also bred and trained horses. Madlyn grew up as comfortable riding bareback as she was in the saddle. She also took piano lessons throughout her school years, becoming a skilled musician who favored the classics, especially Beethoven, and traditional hymns.
In 1950 she graduated from Greensburg High School, and during the following the 12 years worked in the Greensburg office of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, the Kiowa County Extension office, and as a legal secretary. In 1951 she married Wesley Lowell Thompson and moved to a farm near Haviland, and in 1959 they welcomed their only child, Carol Lynn.
Madlyn was a skilled gardener and cook. No one turned down her chicken with homemade noodles, and her brownie sheet cake developed a loyal following among family and friends and is still revered to this day. Madlyn also participated in numerous social clubs and was a long-standing member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, and the American Legion Auxiliary.
In 1970 she took what became a life-altering step by enrolling in a class “…just for fun” at Friends Bible College (now Barclay College) in Haviland. One class became two, then three, and she was hooked. Although she didn’t yet have a specific goal, Madlyn had developed a passion for learning. Serendipity intervened when her science instructor, Jim Leininger, told her about two other midlife scholars - Noreen Monaghan of Haviland and Beverly Day-Swan of Greensburg - who were hatching a plan to earn their nursing degrees. Madlyn met with them, and the threesome formed a combination carpool/study group. After earning their remaining prerequisites at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, they enrolled in the nursing program at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas.
Several years and countless miles later, Madlyn earned her nursing degree from Barton County in 1976, and for 25 years she found tremendous fulfillment working as a nurse in a variety of settings - from hospitals to nursing homes to private residences. She also continued her education, coming within a single class of earning her bachelor’s degree.
In 1979 her first marriage ended. Through her work she met Mark Rice, and in 1981 they married. That same year she moved to Greensburg to help care for her mother while Mark stayed on his farm near Pratt. Since she worked in Pratt, she often stayed with Mark, who taught her how to make the perfect steak. They enjoyed quiet days on the farm and traveling together in the Southwest. During her years in Greensburg she joined many local clubs and picked up two new enthusiasms - golf and bridge.
Then, in May 2007 the big tornado hit, and Madlyn, like everyone else in Greensburg, had to pick up the pieces of her old life and build something new. She said it was one of the hardest things she’d ever faced and that at times she felt like giving up. Instead, she steadfastly put one foot in front of the other, purchasing a house in Pratt; joining the First Southern Baptist Church; and volunteering to work at the hospital information desk and as a dispatcher for the Pratt community bus. Gradually the pieces knit together, and life was full and satisfying again. In 2013 she moved to assisted living at Parkwood Village. Although her balance and arthritis had worsened, she participated in activities there and continued to enthusiastically shop, lunch, and attend community events with a group of close friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents Sonia and Vernon Wirth, her husband Mark Rice, and her brother Victor (Monte) Wirth. She is survived by her daughter Carol Thompson of San Jose, CA and Carol’s partner Mark Jackman; niece Deborah Bane of Edwardsville, IL; nephew Van Wirth of Strongsville, OH; and cousins Chris Wirth of Firestone, CO and Steve Gilham of Waukomis MO.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 10 at 4 pm at Larrison Mortuary, 300 Country Club Rd in Pratt with Pastor Steve Taylor presiding. A private inurnment is scheduled for a later date at the Fairview Cemetery in Greensburg. Memorials are suggested to Barclay College, in care of Larrison Mortuary, 300 Country Club Road, Pratt, KS, 67124.