Anthony (Tony) Rice passed away at his home in Woodinville, Washington on October 3, 2021 after struggling to live without his wife and partner of 36 years, Tricia J. Cook.
He was predeceased by his loving wife, Tricia J. Cook, in March 2020 and his parents Desmond Rice in December 2008 and Louise Rice in February 2020.
He is survived by his sons Adam (Katie) Rice, living in Dallas, Texas and Sean Rice, and living in Seattle, Washington. As well as his sisters, Deirdre Rice and children and Daphne (Jeff) Willan and children, both living in Canada.
Tony will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues from around the world.
Tony was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1957, where his parents worked and were married. In 1958 his family immigrated to Victoria, B.C., Canada where they lived until 1968. In 1968, his father was transferred to Kamloops to work for the B.C. Forest Service. Tony completed his secondary education in Kamloops and after graduation moved to Vancouver to attend University. There he earned his Civil Engineering degree from the University of British Columbia, following in the professional footsteps of his father. After graduation, he began working at Golder Associates Inc. in Vancouver. While working, he earned his Professional Engineer Designation as well as a Masters Degree in Geotechnical Engineering. During this time, he also met his wife, Tricia, who also briefly worked as an engineer for Golder.
Tony's sons, Adam and Sean, were both born in Vancouver. The family lived in North Vancouver until 1999 when Anthony accepted a transfer to Golder's Phoenix, Arizona office. He continued to maintain a home and spend significant time in Phoenix until 2021. Desiring to eventually return to the Pacific Northwest, Tony accepted a position again with Golder Associates in Seattle in 2009. In 2014, Tony and Tricia purchased their second home in Woodinville, Washington as a base for his Seattle work and planned retirement location. Tony took a position with Geosyntec Consultants in 2015 where he worked until passing away.
Tony spent most of his career traveling around the world providing consultation as a Geotechnical Engineer. His work travels took him to countries such to Australia, Iraq, Peru, and Argentina to name a few. His expertise was extensive, ranging from behavior of earth materials, soil and rock mechanics, project management, and much more. He was highly specialized, highly regarded and relied on for his specific skills and attention to detail in both developing new projects and resolving problems on existing projects. He enjoyed the thrill of a life of travel, exploring new places and solving new problems.
From a young age Anthony developed a love of the outdoors, which he shared with his father. Together they became avid backpackers, hikers, climbers, and skiers. They were members of the Kamloops Outdoor club, the Alpine club of Canada, and Tony became a member of the ski patrol team at the Tod Mountain, Kamloops B.C. While living in Vancouver, he and Tricia spent much of their leisure time at Whistler, B.C. Skiing, hiking and for a time, windsurfing on Alta Lake. He maintained his passion for the outdoors throughout his life, sharing it with his family and friends. He traveled around the world to seeking unique hiking and skiing experiences as well as enjoying local hiking in both Washington and Arizona. He found solace while in the outdoors and relished the escape from day-to-day life.
Tony was admirably determined to succeed at every pursuit in his life. He also had a strong conviction to help family at times of need, no matter where in the world he was. As a tribute to his wife Tricia, he worked tirelessly and passionately for many months to establish a foundation that provides assistance to young women engineers with families. An accomplishment of which he was immensely proud. His greatest goal was to provide a wonderful life for his family, which he undoubtedly accomplished. He was also very proud that both of his sons followed in his footsteps pursuing careers as professional engineers. A testament to the person he was, are the friendships he has maintained throughout his adult life.
