Neil Mackenzie Rice

Neil Mackenzie Rice, 82, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, passed away August 21, 2025, at his home. He was under the care of Aspen Home Health & Hospice.

Neil was born May 6, 1943, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Jessie Ann (Mackenzie) and George Henry Rice. He attended school in Pocatello until moving to Idaho Falls in 1955. He graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1961.

He worked for Ray E. Lundahl Oldsmobile from 1959 to 1966, and Ellsworth Brothers Dodge from 1966 to 1972 in the parts departments.

Neil joined the Idaho National Guard 116th Combat Engineers in 1963. He served in Vietnam from September 1968 to October 1969, before being honorably discharged.

He married Dorene Alice Jolley Hart on July 1, 1966, in Idaho Falls. He adopted Dorene's two children, Michael Kris Hart (2 years old) and Kerry Lynn Hart (1 year old). Andrea Dee Rice, our third child, was born in 1970.

Neil worked in security for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), and the Department of Energy (DOE) from June 1972 until his retirement in June 2003.

Lifetime passions included his wife Dorene of 59 years, camping, horseback riding, ATV's, RZR, snow machines, skiing, his Harley Davidson motorcycle, handgun competitions, and his dog, Chloe.

Neil is survived by his wife, Dorene; daughter, Kerry Lynn (Doug) Milligan of Boise, ID; daughter, Andrea Dee (Doug) Ottersberg of Twin Falls, ID; grandchildren, Natalie (Tyler), Kristen (Eric), Rochelle (Matt), Janelle (Jerod), Brandon, Skylar (Shelby), Kaden (Tayler), Jake, Carly, and Kami; along with 10 great grandchildren.

Neil was preceded in death by his twin baby brothers, William and Wesley Rice (1933); his son, Michael Kris Rice (1986); his father, George H. Rice, and his mother, Jessie Ann Rice Krater (both in 1999); and his grandson, Jake Douglas Milligan (2023).

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 29, 2025, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 S. Ammon Road, with Cory Brower officiating. The family will visit with friends from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Burial will be in the Fielding Memorial Park Cemetery. Military Honors will be performed by the Bonneville County Veterans Memorial Team and Idaho Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, Idaho.