The Rice Family

Spend any time on the lake and there are some names of places and landmarks that start to become familiar. You know where you are on the river based on whether you are near the Rice Pavilion or not. Plan where you will launch your boat and you may choose the Lonnie White boat ramp.

In a sit down conversation with Jerry and Diane Rice at their beautiful place on the water, names became stories and legacy. Listening to the stories of before and after the water backed up and being immersed in the tales, there is a sense of who these wonderful humans were and why they were honored with pavilions and boat ramps, even if they are mostly referred to as "Grandaddy" and "Daddy." Over the storytelling hour, names and pictures emerged with such love and care that the story filled itself in, just like the river that became lake in 1983.

There used to be a bridge called Lonnie White Bridge. Built around 1902, the bridge brought two communities together that otherwise would have been separated by the water. Lonnie White was the granddaddy of Jerry Rice. Jerry was born about 100 yards from that bridge in 1941. He's been in the area ever since.

Lonnie White also started the famous restaurant of yesteryear called The Hub. (Editor's note: if you've ever had a hub cake then your life has been changed for the better.)

Jerry's daddy and mother, Luther and Laska Rice, built a new house on the river in 1945. Jerry and his one brother and two sisters were raised there. Growing up they were a dairy farming family. They owned a bunch of land along the river. As Jerry says, "we didn't have time for fishing, we were working."

In 1969, Jerry bought the lot across the street from his parents, wanting to stay near the family. He had wanted a farm somewhere but ended up farming the land there. He raised his own family there – two girls and one boy. Both Jerry and Diane lost their spouses early, so they would have been married for 36 years, since 1988.

The family had a little pier on the river. When the land started to be cleared for the backing up of the lake, they knew that they would lose some of their farmland. There was a little house that was lost under the water and eventually they lost around 200 acres of farmland. Jerry says, "It was going to happen so we did the best we could with it. We decided, don't fight it, just go along with it. We worked with them and they worked with us, that was the beauty of it."

The day the lake started coming up, Jerry had driven to work across the little nameless bridge over the river. When he came home the bridge was impassable, so he had to go around to get home! They miss that bridge the most as physically close neighbors became far away friends.

In 2004, The Luther and Laska Rice Pavilion was built in honor of Jerry's parents. They did get to see the water backed up before they passed, though Lonnie did not. He passed away in 1978. There is a lovely picture of Luther and Laska with their first pontoon boat that was being delivered before they even had a dock. They loved going out on that boat and riding around the water. On Jerry's grandmother's last birthday, all she wanted was to go for a ride on that boat. She was 84. Grandmother White loved every minute of it.

Jerry's siblings are back in the area. Jerry's siblings are Harold Rice, Helen Rice Stanley, Janice Rice Flournoy.

There children are Rhonda Rice Hall, Chuck Rice, and Misti Rice Gray and all still live in the area. There are now 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. The family still enjoys gatherings on the Rice family land by the water.

The pavilion is a wonderful place to gather for all sorts of events like weddings, birthdays, and reunions. Jerry's dad, Luther, started the tradition that is kid's fishing day. It is still hosted annually by the family and Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association.

When asked what they would say to new people who have come to enjoy the lake, Jerry says, " If you want it to stay enjoyable, you have to take care of it, the lake and the surroundings. We try to do our part in maintaining it."

By: Angie Stryker