79
Margo, 83 years young, who lived a life of service to her country, her family, her community, and her Catholic faith died on 9 August 2022 at Tripler Army Medical Center surrounded by her loving family: her husband, Kenn, daughters Tina and Cindy, son Ken, granddaughters Margo and Tess and son-in-law Gideon Helms. Grandson Chris and great-grandsons Liam and Canaan were unable to be there. Margo was born in the Bronx in New York City on 11 February 1939 to John Hempstead Rice Sr. and Margaret Dowd Rice.She graduated from Bogota High School, in NJ, where she excelled in sports and theater. She attended Fairleigh Dickenson College before joining the US Army Women's Army Corps (WAC). She trained and worked as a dental assistant and oral hygienist. While serving at Ft. Belvoir, VA where she was active in women's basketball, pistol team, and theater she met her future husband Kenneth E. Sprague, "Kenn" who was attending the US Military Academy's Preparatory School.
Margo continued her interests by taking courses in Geology and Astronomy while developing her considerable artistic talents even convincing Kenn to join her in creating prize-winning pottery. A highlight was for over twenty years she was Mrs. Claus with Kenn as Santa in the Honolulu City Lights Christmas Parade and follow-up photo.
One of her favorite activities was traveling and cruising the world first with her "sisters" and then with her husband, Kenn. They cruised from near pole to pole and throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, sailed through Panama, Suez, and Kiel Canals, but her favorite was cruising around the Hawaiian Islands 1st on the SS Independence and several cruises on the Norwegian Wind. After taking the inaugural voyage on the Pride of America to Hawaii they added many trips with family and friends, on this great American ship making many friends among the staff.
On their many cruises, she was known as the Tootsie "Lollipop" Lady as she awarded them as a special thanks. Later she switched to M & M's with peanuts and carried on the practice shoreside to the glee of servers and those in the medical fields. She continued doing this through her final hospitalization. Margo was involved in many activities and was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary (DAVA) and the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America (AVVA).
Her crowning accomplishment was her family: her children Christine "Tina" Autumn Sprague, Cynthia "Cindy" Amber Nelson, Kenneth "Ken" Eugene Sprague Jr, her grandchildren Christopher "Chris" Robin Nelson, Margaret "Margo" Frances Allen, Tess Ke Aloha Sandoval, her great-grandchildren, Liam Ikaika Sprague Allen, and Canaan Ali'i Allen, as well as the love of her life Kenneth Eugene Sprague Sr. with whom she shared a committed relationship for over six decades. All survived her along with her sister Christine Hickey, sister-in-law Donna Rice and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Diane Florence Zimmerman and her brother John Hempstead Rice, Jr.
Services will be at Holy Family Catholic Church, where she served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for decades, located at 830 Main Street, Honolulu, Hawaii. Visitation is at 10:30 am, Mass is at 11:00 am on Sept 15th. The inurnment ceremony will follow at the National Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl, at 1:00 pm. Please no flowers; however, donations may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=honormemorialbutton&giftType=hon&_ga=2.244831168.475095090.1661192909-960106840.1661192909.
Arrangements Provided By: O'ahu Mortuary
