Peggy Rice

Peggy Jean (Seeley) Rice, passed away Sunday evening, June 28, 2020. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6, 2020 at Greenwood Cemetery, Platteville. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent in Peggy's name to the Melby Funeral Home at PO Box 245, Platteville, WI 53818 which will be donated to the Grant County Humane Society or the Mining and Rollo Jamison Museum. Online condolences can be made at www.melbyfh.com.

Peggy was born in rural Crawford County on 21 September 1930 to Wilbert and Lois (Krahn) Seeley, the fourth of five children. She graduated from Boscobel High School in 1948 and moved to Madison to work at Madison General Hospital as a nursing assistant for several years before attending Platteville Teacher's college to obtain a two year rural education degree. She would continue to meet with her rural education classmates for 60 years.

She met her husband of 63 years, Wendell Rice, in Platteville and they were married in Galena on October 7, 1953. Peggy taught in a one room school house in rural Platteville, then as a waitress at the Taylor Café, before accepting a job at the Platteville Police Department as their first full time dispatcher-office manager-matron. She served the city of Platteville in this capacity for over 30 years. In her retirement she volunteered at the Mining and Rollo Jamison Museum, Platteville Thrift Shop and the Madison's Children Museum American Girl sale. She was an excellent seamstress, making outfits for her daughter and later Halloween costumes plus many other projects for her granddaughter. Peggy also embroidered, crocheted, tatted, and knitted. She enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Europe with her husband and always made sure every trip included a stop at a zoo as she loved animals. Peggy's favorite activity was pampering her cats. Deborah could always count on mom to help out, no matter where Deb and Bill's Army service took them.

Peggy is survived by her daughter Deborah Rice (Bill Kloster) and granddaughter Gretchen Kloster (fiancé Ike Roth). She is also survived by her youngest brother, Wilbert Jr (Bill) Seeley, sisters-in-law and brothers in-law Marilyn Abing, Lavon Rice, Jean Rice, Dick (Joanne) Rice and Merle (Sheena) Rice and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Wendell on 20 July 2016, her parents, sister Doris (Jack) Hamele, brothers Richard (Margaret) and John Seeley, sisters- in- law Patricia Ann Seeley and Judy Robertson, brothers-in-law Jerry Rice, Stan Rice, and Vincent Abing. Nephews Mark Seeley, Bart Rice, Robert Rice, Kyle Robertson, Michael Abing, Alex Abing and nieces Barbara VanWinkle and Patti Lovisone.