Darla Mae Rice Bates Sutherland's Obituary
Darla Mae Rice Bates Sutherland was born in Henderson, North Carolina on July 23, 1936, to Alfred Alvin & Lillian Davis Rice, the oldest of 5 children. Her siblings were Hiram, Randy, Paula, & Alvin. Darla was a high school cheerleader and voted most popular. During difficult financial times, she lived with her stepmother Mary Yates Davis, and moved to Washington D.C. to help support her family. She worked various jobs until she danced her way up to being a nightclub headliner singer and model in D.C. She loved to sing, perform, and play piano.
She met her husband Jack Bates in D.C., where he was serving in the Navy. They enjoyed snow and water skiing, tennis, and fishing on the Provo River together. They moved to his hometown Salt Lake City, UT where she worked for Utah Power & Light. She joined the LDS church and enjoyed serving in the women’s organization. Together, they had three daughters: Tera (Gary Duncan), and identical twins Tracey (Larry Long) & Trina (Tom Boice). They moved to San Jose, CA, where Jack worked as an Engineer for Lockheed. She was involved in community theater and loved being a mother to her girls. She was their best fan in their activities at church, speech and debate, dance, theater, and cheerleading. She would attend school activities and students would always ask if she was a model or famous actress. The girls always beamed with pride. She loved leopard clothing and always dressed in style. She kept her 24-inch waist for decades.
After divorcing, she later married Vance Sutherland in San Jose and was married in the same ceremony as her sister Paula. She worked as a real estate agent and executive secretary for Nippon Electric Company (NEC). They later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to work for the Rice family business: Multipure Corporation, and to live closer to her siblings and twin daughters.
She struggled with Alzheimer’s for a decade, passing peacefully surrounded by loved ones on November 26, 2022, at the age of 86. Darla will be buried in the Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery next to her loving Marine husband, Vance. Her legacy leaves 12 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. We will miss our beloved “Darling Darla” who was always known for her sweetness. She leaves a legacy of kindness, elegance, style, and unconditional love.
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