NORTH YARMOUTH – Lauren H. Rice, 62, passed away peacefully at her home on Jan. 3, 2022 with her husband David at her side. For the past 4 ½ years she fought a valiant battle with cancer but, with characteristic fortitude, she determined not to let her illness limit her life or the endless possibilities of finding and creating joy within it.

Lauren was born in East Orange, N.J. on Feb. 27, 1959, the daughter of Richard L. Hampton and Eugenie (Hahlbohm) Hampton. The family moved to Massachusetts when Lauren was 5 and she spent most of her childhood in Topsfield, graduating from Masconomet Regional High School in 1977.

Lauren attended Colby College, graduating in 1981 with a degree in Human Development. The Colby years were highlighted by her extensive involvement in Frontier Nursing Services which provides health care services to rural and underserved communities. Through FNS she spent semesters in Kentucky and Newfoundland where her exposure to poverty and lack of medical care greatly influenced her later decision to embark on a career in health care delivery.

Lauren developed lifelong friendships with her Colby classmates and their relationships only strengthened through the years with annual reunions and group travels.

A chance to sell subscriptions to People magazine provided Lauren with the opportunity to return to Maine. She soon embarked on her career in health care administration and worked at senior management positions at Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Aetna and Martin’s Point Health Care before completing her professional career in 2017.

In 1986 Lauren met David Rice under the Hot Dogs sign on a wooden bench outside Maggie’s Sunoco in Freeport while each was awaiting a ride to work. That chance encounter led to a long courtship (some have called it an extended interview), a dinner date at Horsefeathers and eventually, their marriage on June 26, 1988. To clinch the deal, David brought a boat and Lauren her golden retriever Holly to the union.

Lauren was happiest when she was boating on Casco Bay. She embraced the immeasurable sense of peace and serenity that comes from being on the water, and with her son Jonathan’s arrival in 1989, seeking nautical adventure became the core of family activity. With the purchase of a new boat in 2018, extensive cruising and overnight stays became possible and deepened Lauren and David’s shared appreciation of being on the water.

Volunteering was an essential thread woven throughout Lauren’s life. She cheerfully served meals at Preble Street in Portland and enthusiastically recruited friends and co-workers to join her. She was a six-year board member of the Oasis Free Clinics, a no-cost primary care medical practice and dental clinic in Brunswick.

Lauren and David hosted Julie Roekeloos, an AFS exchange student from Belgium during the 2005-’06 school year and for several summers thereafter. Julie became a cherished part of the family and their friendship flourished in later years as Julie’s family joined her in visiting Lauren and David and were gracious hosts during Lauren and David’s two trips to Europe.

Lauren’s constant quality was her calming and graceful presence born of a profound sense of perspective and balance. She could be the consummate organizer one moment and laugh at life’s absurdities in the next. She loved hugs and foot rubs as much as dispensing personal finance advice to Jonathan. She could bring focus and discipline to personal and professional tasks while giving herself over to the “blue mind” when she and David were on their boat. In the last four years, she did not let her illness weaken the embrace of her family or corrode the strength of her friendships. It could neither shut out her memories nor smother her spirit. She fully realized the truth about difficult roads leading to beautiful destinations and she took her cue from the sign which greeted her and David when they stepped onto their boat: “I have come here to be joyful.”

Besides her parents, Lauren is survived by David Rice, her husband of 33 years; her son, Jonathan Rice and his wife Lauren Farnsworth, of Brunswick; and her 1 ½ year old granddaughter Lily who brought wondrous joy to Lauren. She is also survived by her brother, Douglas Hampton and his wife Laura of Ann Arbor, Mich., and her brother, Peter Hampton, of Charlevoix, Mich.; along with numerous cousins, nieces, nephews; and brothers and sisters-in-law in the Rice and Hampton families who loved and adored her.

The family wishes to thank Hospice of Southern Maine for their compassion and care during Lauren’s final weeks: Ellen Dion, who visited Lauren faithfully and rallied the Colby troops to her support; Mary Kay Horrisberger, her devoted next door neighbor who wore out the aptly named “friendship path” between their houses bringing comfort and food daily; and Dr. Cindy Avery, the very essence of a loyal friend, who moved into Lauren’s house to provide not only medical and hospice care but also the reassuring presence that only comes with a 30-year friendship.

A celebration of Lauren’s life is planned for the spring. To express condolences, or participate in Lauren’s online tribute, please visit http://www.lindquistfuneralhome.com

Memorial donations in Lauren’s name may be

made to:

Dempsey Center

P.O. Box 277

Auburn, ME 04212 or

Hospice of Southern Maine

390 U.S. Route One

Scarborough, ME 04074 or

Oasis Free Clinics

66 Baribeau Drive

Suite 5B, Box 1

Brunswick, ME 04011

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