No headline

Gregory (Greg) George Rice, 72 of Post Falls, ID

“Who’s Your Buddy Who’s Your Pal”

It was a sad day for the hot rod world when Greg Rice made his way to the big garage in the sky on Sept. 6, 2017.

Greg Rice, a self-made success story, grew up in various cities in Idaho including Wallace, Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls. Proudly serving his country as a member or the U.S. Navy, he spent most of his service overseas, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Upon returning from his tour he attended North Idaho College and earned a degree in Business Management.

Greg always had a passion and extreme talent for frame off restoration, repairing and fixing cars. Many hotrods were restored to perfection at Rice Automotive, a shop built in the “Greg Rice” way. His talent was second to NONE. “Rice Cream” became a signature nicknamed paint color which stood out as a Rice car. Greg was one of those guys that if it had a motor, he was going to make it go faster — often putting his youngest son on the vehicle to maximize proper weight-to-horsepower distribution.

1934 Fords were his specialty; many were rescued from creek beds and fields of weeds. He had an uncanny knack to see beyond the rust and deterioration and create a magnificent restoration. Many of Greg’s restorations were featured in various national car magazines.

Greg never missed a day of work or a chance to celebrate with friends. His cars were often seen at National Street Rod shows throughout the Northwest and locally at Hot Rod Days back in the day of Hot Rod Café.

Greg was known and loved by many and will be missed and remembered by all.

He is survived by his brothers, John Rice and Randy Whalen; his sons by marriage Jeremy Johnson of Washington and Dan Johnson of Utah; nephew Jesse Heibert; and countless friends along the way.