Bonners Ferry’s Irene Rice Celebrates 90 Years

A 90th birthday celebration honoring Irene (Merrifield) Rice will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Paradise Valley Grange in Bonners Ferry. Friends and community members are invited to attend. 

Those who attend are welcome to bring a dish to add to the potluck. 

Rice was born in 1936 in Columbus, Montana, and moved with her family to Bonners Ferry in 1942. She grew up in Paradise Valley in the home she still calls her own. She later married Ed Rice, and together they raised nine children: Verna (and Brent Studer), Linda (and Phil Bowers), Ed, Tina (and Scott Tindall), Rhonda, Marty (and LaRae), Bill (and Paula), Rosanna (and Doug Cartwright) and Dan (and Conda). 

Over the years, Rice has built a large extended family that includes numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, as well as many in the community who affectionately know her as “Grandma Rice.” 

She has been a familiar presence in the community through her work at JCPenney, the Boundary County Senior Center and local polling stations. She has also been active in church and volunteer efforts, including Vacation Bible School, Trinity Lutheran Church events, Friends of the Restorium and the American Legion Auxiliary. She has supported generations of family members in activities ranging from athletics and band to 4-H, rodeo, and parades. 

In 2003, Rice was named Boundary County Fair’s Queen Bee, a title family members say reflects her lifelong dedication to others. 

Family and friends describe Rice’s life as one centered on community, friendship and love. 

The celebration will honor her 90 years and the many lives she has touched.