Alan B. Rice, 77, Was Devoted to Civic Work

A memorial service was held Saturday at Trinity Church of Boston for Alan B. Rice, a summer resident of Edgartown for most of the 1960s and 1970s. Mr. Rice, 77, died Jan. 29 at his home in Brookline.

Mr. Rice, a retired commercial Realtor in Boston, was devoted to several civic and historical organizations and served them creatively and diligently for many years. He was a 30-year member and served as an officer of the Boston Rotary Club, which awarded him the Paul Harris Fellow medal for his helpfulness to his fellow man and service to the Rotary Club and community.

A native of Boston, Mr. Rice was born Feb. 8, 1926. He spent his early childhood in Yucatan, Mexico, before returning to the United States. He attended Wilbraham Academy and Hillyer College (the University of Hartford). After serving in the Eighth Air Force in World War II, Mr. Rice returned to Boston, where he worked in commercial real estate, served on the board of the Hibernia Savings Bank and as director of the Executive Club of the Chamber of Commerce of Boston. He also served on the board of directors of the Greater Boston Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston.

As executive director of the Society of Colonial Wars and president of the First Corps of Cadets, Mr. Rice worked hard to preserve the colonial history of the United States, notably helping to uncover the history of the battle of Louisburg in Nova Scotia and other battles along the eastern seaboard of Canada, a pivotal campaign that led to the removal of French control of North America.

His marriage to Irene Palatine Rice of Southbury, Conn., ended in divorce. He is survived by five children: Alison Rice Edwards of Washington, D.C.; Arthur Pray Rice, of Wilmettte, Ill.; Bettina Palatine Hackett of Cranston, R.I.; Melissa Weld Gervais of Tucson, Ariz.; and Sarah Britton Pratt of Wenham. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, a nephew and his companion, Joan Mackey, of Brookline.

A reception was held after the memorial service at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Contributions in memory of Mr. Rice may be made to Hospice Dimensions, 764 Main street, Waltham MA 02451, or the Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation, 70 East Lake Street, Suite 1015, Chicago IL 60601.