MARY E. TRICE

Wasilla resident Mary Elizabeth Trice, 100, died Nov. 22, 2004, in her home, with her granddaughter and caregiver at her side.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, at the Valley Funeral Home Chapel in Wasilla, with Pastor Ethan Hansen officiating. A celebration of life will follow at Ms. Trice's residence in Settlers Bay.

A service will also be held in San Angelo, Texas, at 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 4, at Johnson's Funeral Home, with burial following at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens. Ron Crowder, Ronnie Dale Crowder, David Aubry, Jack Bartlett, Floyd Martinez and Bud Hanks will be pallbearers. Floral arrangements are welcome and appreciated.

Ms. Trice was born Aug. 23, 1904, in a small farmhouse in Gap, Comanche County, Texas, to Rose Emmie Crockett and Dan Alexandra Casbeer. She married Eddie Clinton Trice on Feb. 3, 1923. Ms. Trice moved to Rising Star, Texas in 1926 and moved around Texas from farm to farm.

She eventually settled in the Rio Grande Valley, where she ran a feed-and-seed store. In 1946, she moved to San Angelo, Texas, where she owned and managed the Plaza Hotel until she retired in 1982.

In 1996, Ms. Trice moved to Wasilla to live with her granddaughter, and stayed until her death.

During her lifetime, she enjoyed fishing, sewing, gardening, raising poodles and chasing her five grandchildren.

Her loved ones wrote, "She was famous for her handmade dolls and won awards at the Alaska State Fair in 1998. It is estimated that she made more than 300 dolls for friends and family. Mary's strong will to celebrate her 100th birthday was inspirational. More than 85 friends and family members attended her celebration. Mary insisted on being independent and living a full life. She loved teaching her life experiences and telling stories. She was proud of her five-generation family.

"She was our rock. She was always there for her family. Her love and devotion for her family was inspirational to all. She was the most incredibly independent woman in her early years. She would tell you how the cow should eat the cabbage in no uncertain terms. She could run a three-story hotel, tend to five grandchildren, cook for the jail and make you a new dress."

Ms. Trice was preceded in death by her mother, Emmie Rose Casbeer; father, Dan Alexandra Casbeer; daughter, Wanda J. Crowder; son, Dwight Trice; three husbands; two brothers, Dan Casbeer and Wilburn Casbeer; two sisters, Fannie and Eva; a granddaughter, Paula, and a great-great grandchild, Jonah.

Survivors are her grandson, Ron Crowder; granddaughters, Kathi Lei, Glynna Wright, Susan Crowder and RoxAnn Fitzgerald; great-grandchildren, Kenny Clint, Tanya, Sean, Shea and Brian; great-great grandchildren, Jessica, Daniel, Kelsey, Noah, Hayden, Hope and Aleia; extended family members, Helen, Dave, Emily, Alexia, Ben, George, John, Brenda, David, Candi, Carol, Lesley, Jason, Tom, Jessie, Tyler, Nathalie and an exceptional number of lifetime friends.

The family requests memorial donations be sent to the charity of the donor's choice in Ms. Trice's name.

Arrangements were made by Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.#