Aloyd T. Rice

Aloyd T. Rice, 89, died in his sleep Sunday March 9, 2008, at Union General Hospital while under Hospice care. He was previously a native of Pensacola, Fla., and Lake Worth, Fla., and was a Blairsville resident for the past 32 years.

He was predeceased by his wife Esther of 20 years. He is survived by his daughters, Dora G. Meldrim [Irvin] of Palm Springs, Fla., and Marsha Price [Michael] of Milton, Fla., along with 7 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

During his lifetime, he enjoyed hunting and fishing and always held a passion for gardening and pets. A few years ago, Mr. Rice gained notoriety on national TV, after having been instrumental in a heart warming story of a tattooed dog being reunited to its owner, having been missing for 2 1.2 years.

His employment throughout his life consisted of being a deputy sheriff with the Escambia County Sheriff's Department, the Escambia County School Board, Standard Oil Co., and Liberty Electric Co. In his retirement years, he became the go-to guy on Lake Nottely Drive by many of his neighbors, always willing to help anyone with a task or offering a kind word.

A memorial service will be conducted by his grandson Rev. James I. Meldrim at Cochran Funeral Home, 32 Hospital St. Blairsville, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 13, with internment following at Belleview United Methodist Church cemetery, Murphy, N.C.