Barbara and James Rice had many connections with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration that led to not only a planned-giving relationship, but a lasting legacy for their family, the sisters and the global community served by such generosity.
The relationship between FSPA and Barbara, a freelance writer and adjunct instructor of mass communications at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and James, an attorney and Monroe County Circuit Judge, began at St. Mary’s Hospital in Sparta, Wisconsin.
The couple joined FSPA as donors in the 1990s, and provided annual donations, memorials and endowment giving. This relationship was just one facet of their generosity, with Barbara serving the Sparta, Monroe County and La Crosse, Wisconsin, communities : the Sparta Boys & Girls Club Board; the Steering Committee of St. Clare Health Mission of Monroe County; the Monroe County Shelter Care Board; the Franciscan Healthcare Foundation-Sparta Board, ex-officio; the Franciscan Healthcare-La Crosse Community Advisory Board and the High Point Charter School Governing Board. For two decades she served as secretary of the Sparta Free Library Board and more recently as a member of the SFL Expansion Project. She was a member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, the Sparta Kiwanis Club and St. Patrick's Church.
Barbara cherished a personal bond with Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Ladonna Kassmeyer and Marie Leon LaCroix, with whom she attended many events at Viterbo University in La Crosse. She expressed gratitude for her relationships with both women with a memorial gift made to FSPA with the passing of Sister Ladonna:
“Dear Ladies, I read with regret the death of my long-time friend, Sister Ladonna. We were brought together through our common interest in health care from St. Mary's in Sparta into its present association with Mayo Clinic Health System. We served on committees together in La Crosse, and she always attended our hospital foundation dinners, often bringing Sister Marie Leon with her. My husband Jim enjoyed both of them! Sister Ladonna was so modest: I knew nothing of her academic achievements! No wonder she was so good at all she did! Yet she always took the time to write me a note — and always upbeat! (I will miss them!) Sister Ladonna brought substance and joy into my life. I will cherish her friendship forever. With love, Barbara Rice.”
While James passed away in 2003 and Barbara, at the age of 93, in 2023, their memory and generosity will forever be cherished by their FSPA family.
Planned giving is just one of the options for supporting FSPA. To learn more, visit fspa.org.