NORTH YARMOUTH – It is with great sadness we announce that James Marshall Rice, beloved brother, devoted husband, and proud father of two wonderful girls, passed away tragically at his home on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. He was 55 years old.Jim was born on March 1, 1966 to parents Margaret Lucille and Richard Linwood Rice of Cape Elizabeth. A happy and inquisitive child, Jim had a natural likeableness to him that allowed him to form friendships easily, a trait which all who knew him will testify was to serve him well throughout his life. Always there with a ready smile, a glint of mischief in his eyes, and an aching desire for adventure, Jim delighted in romping through the woods behind his home, building, with his father’s help, secret hideaways to play in, and exploring the shores of Great Pond with his many childhood friends, including his older sister Christine. Sadly, the reverie and carefree joys of youth were cut short for Jim when his father died of heart failure at the age of 57 when Jim was only 9 years old. Further tragedy would strike when his 17 year old sister Christine died six years later when Jim was just starting high school. To have lost so much, so early, was a burden that weighed heavily on him his entire life.Jim attended Cape Elizabeth schools through 8th grade and graduated from Cheverus High School in 1984. As he put it: “how I got through I’ll never know” because Jim struggled with dyslexia as a child. Despite these early setbacks, Jim went on to study economics at the University of Maine, where he graduated with a B.A. degree in 1989. From there he began his career with Fiber Materials in Saco, Maine where he evaluated costs to manufacture carbon composite ICBM nose tips and rocket motor nozzle throats. His daily interface with various engineers in the development of this technology led him to his life’s calling. In 1991 he returned to the University of Maine to study Civil Engineering, where he earned his B.S. degree and graduated with highest distinction in 1995 before embarking on a distinguished career in international construction. It was also at this time that he met the love of his life and future wife, Jennifer Marie Cronkhite of Biddeford, Maine. The two were married on Nov. 27, 1997 while on Jim’s first overseas assignment.For the next 10 years Jim worked for Perini Corporation of Framingham, Mass., where he rapidly advanced through the ranks, ending up as Operations Manger and playing a key role in all of Perini’s International Construction Programs, including the construction of embassies and consulates in 26 countries for the U.S. Department of State. It was while they were in Guam that he and Jennifer had both of their daughters, Sarah Marie in 1998 and Amanda Margaret in 2000. Wherever he was stationed Jim always took his family with him and it was as a family that Jim, Jen, Sarah and Amanda experienced so many of the marvels of this world. The above photos show Jim with his girls on vacation in New Zealand in 2009. In 2007 Jim and his family returned to Maine for a stint as General Manager of Consigli Construction in Portland, where he built, among other projects, the Dining Commons and the Bates Walk Campus Mall for Bates College, managed renovations and additions to the Walker Art museum at Bowdoin College, and oversaw the complex construction of the Bangor Courthouse, combining the Maine Judicial Branch with the Maine Supreme Court.The siren call of faraway places caught him again when he next worked for Pernix Group of Lombard, Ill. and oversaw the completion of the embassy in Suva, Fiji, where he and the family lived for two years. He transitioned from that assignment back to Pernix headquarters in Illinois with a promotion to Vice President in charge of all Department of State programs.In 2013 Jim became Vice President of Special Projects for Environmental Chemical Corporation (ECC) of Burlingame, Calif. and managed the completion of the Department of State’s New Embassy Compound in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, bringing the troubled project from imminent termination to a near flawless accreditation. He returned to Maine again in 2016, briefly, before heading off to oversee construction of the new embassy in Oslo, Norway. Returning to Maine again in 2018 Jim became a Vice President at Wright/Ryan in Portland, putting all of his previous construction experience to work in helping to change the Portland skyline with many new and exciting projects. Ever restless for new adventures, Jim moved again in 2020 when he was asked by his old employer, Perini Corporation, to oversee the completion of a difficult embassy project in Montevideo, Uruguay. He and his wife made the trip alone this time, as his girls were both in college. They returned home to North Yarmouth just recently after a trying year in South America. The years of near constant travel and relentless pressure were catching up to him. During his career of nearly three decades he successfully completed more than 200 construction projects worldwide in over 50 countries with an aggregate contract value well in excess of $1 billion. The world will forever be a lesser place without him.When he wasn’t working Jim loved the company of good friends (there were many) and telling stories of all his travels. He especially loved movies and laughter (comedies were his favorites), and with his brother he shared his love of cars, especially fast cars from the muscle car era and exotic cars like his beloved Audi R8 and Porsche 911. With his favorite uncle Roger and his cousin Jill, Jim spent many happy hours on Sebago Lake cruising around on their pontoon boat, relaxing, and just being around his extended family. And he really loved building teams of people in the construction world. Indeed, this might have been his greatest gift. On the Kyrgyzstan project, which was riddled with corruption before he got there, he terminated nearly all subcontractors and replaced the majority of the site management team with people he had worked with for over 15 years. They were friends all, construction professionals from all over the globe, and they were happy to come and work for him.Throughout his career, Jim maintained his top secret (or higher) security clearance and was involved with many classified projects for various government agencies. At great risk to himself he was often called upon to go in harm’s way in dangerous places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on behalf of the U.S. government, and well in advance of American military forces, to provide living quarters, infrastructure and communications in support of our mission. Long before there were troops on the ground in these hostile areas there were people like Jim there, unsung and largely unknown Americans, paving the way. This is the very essence of patriotism and self sacrifice. Freedom-loving Americans everywhere owe Jim, and others like him, a debt of gratitude for helping to make this a better, safer, freer world in which to live.Jim was predeceased by his father, Richard Linwood Rice, his mother Margaret Lucille Rice; his sister Christine Elizabeth Rice, and his half sister Catherine Elizabeth Michaels (nee Catherine Diane Moon).He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Jennifer Marie (Cronkhite) Rice; his daughters Sarah Marie Rice and Amanda Margaret Rice; his half brother John Richard Moon of Falmouth; his father-in-law Raymond Cronkhite of Biddeford; his sister-in-law Kimberly Caudill and her lovely daughter Emma; his uncles Terrance Shoemaker and his wife Charlotte of Ocala, Fla., Roger Shoemaker and his wife Linda of Windham, Maine, and Steven Shoemaker and his wife April of Old Wyck, N.J.; his cousins Jill Enders and her husband Todd of Sanford, Maine, Lisa Grear and her husband Philip of Naples, Fla., and Shawn Shoemaker and his wife Jody of Waterboro, Maine; along with many extended family and friends.The family requests no visitation at this trying time and especially that no flowers be sent to the home. Per his request, Jim’s body will be cremated with his ashes to be retained by his wife. Also per his request there will be no funeral. A memorial service celebrating Jim’s life, which all are invited to attend, will be held at a later date and announced in this paper. Anyone wishing to send thoughts, prayers, condolences or just remembrances of their time with Jim are welcome to do so by addressing them to John Moon, PO Box 66747, Falmouth, ME 04105.

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