Kendall Rice, 31, is being remembered as a quiet and kind man, a talented artist and photographer and a beloved coworker at VUMC who worked here along with his father, Legerald Rice, an employee of the VUMC Post Office, and Kendall’s sister, Erica Rice, who schedules surgeries in Otolarygology.
Kendall Rice, a customer service representative for VUMC Parking and Transportation Services, was on his way to work, walking down Alta Loma Road in Madison about 5 a.m. on Aug. 14, not far from his bus stop on Gallatin Road. He was stopped by two or three people in a dark sedan, robbed and shot, police say. He died at the scene. Police have said his killing may be related to others occurring in the same area over several days.
The close-knit Rice family would often reunite on Vanderbilt’s campus for breakfast, or just pop into each other’s work areas to say hello. Kendall worked the ground floor of Medical Center East while his sister was a few floors up. And their father’s job took him across campus.
“There are no words for any of us,” said Erica Rice. “We have leaned on those who have offered their shoulders and we’re doing our best to lean on God. We know we’ll see Kendall again.”
In addition to his father and sister, Kendall Rice is also survived by his mother, Telesa, and a sister, Christina Cummings, who lives in Indiana.
Erica was the first of three members of the Rice family to work at Vanderbilt. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Nashville in 2014 and started at the Vanderbilt Access Center in Green Hills before moving into the Department of Otolaryngology. Other family members followed in 2015 — Kendall as a parking valet, and then Legerald who started in Temporary Services, and moved to his permanent position at the VUMC Post Office.
Kendall moved from the valet job into VUMC Parking and Transportation Services, where he helped manage parking throughout campus, working one-on-one with customers. It’s a job that demands a friendly face and a cool head, and that’s the sort of person that Kendall was, Erica said.
“He was very even-keeled,” she said. “He didn’t get emotional.”
She said he learned his work ethic from their father and would come to work on days others would not.
A Jehovah’s Witness, Kendall’s faith was very important to him and shaped his personality, his sister said.
“He definitely was guided by Bible principles and that’s why he treated people so well. He made the personal choice for himself that he would live by God’s standards.”
Outside of work, Kendall enjoyed being a sketch artist and photographer and loved cars.
“He was a very quiet person, even at home, but he had his moments where he could be a very silly and entertaining person,” Erica said. “He was a very simple person. He didn’t have to have a whole lot of things going on to be content.”
The close-knit Rice family would often reunite on Vanderbilt’s campus for breakfast, or just pop into each other’s work areas to say hello. Kendall worked the ground floor of Medical Center East while his sister was a few floors up. And their father’s job took him across campus.
Erica said that the Vanderbilt community has been incredibly supportive of her family, and she sees it as a special place.
“Vanderbilt is instrumental in our lives,” she said. “Everyone has offered themselves, has been so willing and able in supporting us. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and thoughts and that is more than enough.”
