Miles Leland Rice

Former Alaskan Miles Leland Rice, 79, died July 27, 2012, at Joshua Tree, Calif., of complications from an October 2011 motorcycle accident.

Miles was born June 25, 1933, in Grangeville, Idaho. He attended 11 years of school, mainly in Palmer, and attained a GED while in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Miles was in the Marine Corps from 1951 through 1954, which included serving in the Korean War in 1952. He also attended Kildahls Navigation School in Seattle, Wash., in 1969 and obtained a 1,000-ton Master of Oceans License. He later upgraded his license to a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s License — 1,600 Tons Upon Any Ocean, Inspected.

Miles spent his entire career in the marine industry. He fished for king crab in Alaska from 1960 to 1968 as captain on vessels ranging from 85- to 176-feet. In 1969, he left the fishing business and entered the oil support industry as captain on 165-foot and 180-foot supply type vessels.

In 1971, he joined Jackson Marine, an oil service company, as captain in its North Sea area. He was promoted to area manager and then area operations manager, spending through 1977 in the North Sea, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In 1977, he left his base in England to return to the United States to get back into the fishing industry.

From 1977 to 1981, he was captain of king crab vessels in the Bering Sea and also co-owner of the F/V Express.

From 1981 to 1986, he went to West Africa for Point Marine and Seahorse as captain of tug supply vessels, making several trans-Atlantic trips and towing oil rigs up and down the West Africa Coast. He ended his career back in Alaska working for All Alaskan Inc. towing a 280-foot process barge buying salmon.

Miles retired about 1990 and lived the remainder of his life in his beloved desert at Thousand Palms, Calif. Miles loved to travel and find the best restaurants and exotic places to visit, then call his friends and family to come and visit him. He kept in close contact with his Alaska friends and school chums, welcoming them to the desert each winter.

Miles was a proud member of the Elks Lodge, beginning his membership in Palmer and ending his life as a member in the Palm Springs, Calif., Elks Lodge 1905. Miles loved his woodworking shop and made lots of wonderful pieces of useable art for his family, friends and for charity.

Surviving are his daughter, Tishamingo (Chris) Lambert of Seward; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and brothers, Joe Rice (Marcia Hamilton) of Palmer, Lane (Lois) Rice of Rockford, Wash., and Pat (Claudia) Rice of Camas, Wash.

A memorial service will be planned for the winter when the “snowbirds” return to the desert. Memorial donations may be sent to a charity of your choice.