Obituary of James L. Rice Jr.

STAR LAKE – James "JJ" L. Rice, Jr., age 47, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on October 27, 2024 at his family's hunting camp. Calling hours will be held at French Family Funeral Home, 4159 State Hwy 3, Star Lake NY 13690 on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. There will be a funeral mass held at St. Hubert's Catholic Church in Star Lake on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Burial will follow in St. Michael's Cemetery in Fine. There will be a celebration of life later in November in Oneonta. Details will be distributed through family and friends. Condolences may be shared online at www.frenchfuneralhomes.com. JJ was born on March 21, 1977 in Star Lake to James L. and Sandy (McKenney) Rice. He graduated from Clifton-Fine Central School in 1995 where he was an accomplished athlete playing hockey, baseball, soccer, and wrestling. After graduation, he attended SUNY Brockport for a year before transferring to SUNY Geneseo, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He then earned his M.D. at Upstate Medical School in Syracuse in May 2003. Less than a month later he married his high school sweetheart, Carrie L. Tatnall, and just a few days later moved to Danville, PA where they bought their first house together and he completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Geisinger Medical Center. After completing his residency, they bought a house in Maryland, NY and he took a job at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta where he made many great friends and was known as Jim. After some years at Fox Hospital, he landed at the Tri-Town Hospital in Sidney, NY for several years where he served as the Emergency Department Director. Most recently he was an Emergency Physician for the University of Vermont at their Ticonderoga and Elizabethtown Emergency Departments. JJ was an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. Some of his happiest times were on Cranberry Lake, camping and fishing with his sons as well as other friends and family. He also loved spending time at the family's "Big Creek" hunting camp. He enjoyed golfing, especially with his good friends in Oneonta. He spent most of his free time outside doing various activities including skiing, snowmobiling, boiling maple syrup, cutting wood and working on his property. Even as a little boy, he was always outside playing with his trucks and riding his 3-wheeler. Recently, he was spending time teaching his boys to pitch baseball and helped coach PJ's baseball team last year, which he truly enjoyed. He was a jack of all trades, constantly doing his own work on his house and property, and no task was ever too big or overwhelming for him. He just got it done. He is survived by his wife, Carrie Rice, his sons, PJ L. Rice and Nixon T. Rice, his parents, Jim and Sandy Rice, and his sister and brother-in-law, Jodi and Todd Szlamczynski. He is also survived by nephews, Eric and Adam Szlamczynski, Spencer and Simon O'Neil, and a niece, Saoirse O'Neil. Donations in memory of JJ Rice may be made to the Schenevus Central School Booster Club, 159 Main Street, Schenevus NY 12155.