Our Staff

Celeste Rice Kimball joined Rice Funeral Home as a licensed apprentice in 2001 and completed her course of studies at the Funeral Institute of New England (FINE) in Westwood in 2003, where she received High Honors. She became a fully licensed Funeral Director in 2004. 

She is also a 1983 graduate of Doherty Memorial High School, the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, 1987 and Northeastern University in Boston, 1990. 

Celeste previously worked as a Physician Assistant for 12 years, but decided to change careers to continue the family tradition of funeral service.   She is passionate about pre-planning and she feels that a small family-run funeral home is able to provide individualized, personalized and empathetic services for families at their time of greatest need. 

Celeste and her husband Kerry have three children.  She is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association. 

Celeste is also a Notary Public, providing all services free of charge. 

Roger Rice has been affiliated with Rice Funeral Home since 1979, when he began working as an apprentice with his father, Arthur. He is a 1979 graduate of Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Worcester State College in 1983 and an Associates Degree in Funeral Service, Magna Cum Laude, from the New England Institute, Boston, in 1985. He also received a Business Applications Programming Certificate from the former Central New England College in 1986. 

Roger has been a licensed funeral director since 1985, while also working as a software developer. Since his father’s death in 2001, Roger has been working with his sister Celeste in many different aspects of the business. 

Roger and his wife Liz have three children. He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association.