Ginter O. Rice, 93, died Wednesday, May 25th, at the Golden Living Center in Benson. He was born January 13th, 1918 on a farm in Camp Lake Township, Swift County, to Julia and Oscar Rice. The second of seven children, he and his four sisters and two brothers were raised in rural Murdock. Fluent in Norwegian, he didn't learn English until he started country school at the age of five. Ginter was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Spring Creek Church near Sunburg. After moving to Benson in 1947, he became a lifetime member of Trinity Lutheran.As a young man, Ginter worked with his father on the family farm and also worked as a field hand for other farmers in the local area. After the depression, he set out virtually penniless in search of fame and fortune, riding the rails west to Washington, and eventually taking a steamer to the Alaskan Territory, where he did everything from picking cherries to milking cows and working on the docks. By 1936, his father became terminally ill with stomach cancer, and he returned to Minnesota to help his mother, brothers, and sisters deal with the unfortunate situation that claimed his father's life at the age of 47.A World War II veteran, in 1941 he was one of the first young men from Swift County drafted into the U.S. Army. He started his career in the horse cavalry and ended it as a Tank Commander in the 13th Armored Division, seeing combat in 1945 in Southern Germany and Western Austria. Two years later, he met and then married Martha Marion Johnson in Benson on November 14th, 1947. After working as a salesman for an engineering firm, Ginter started full-time at Agralite Cooperative in 1950, and worked there as an Engineer for 33 years, until his retirement in 1983. Among other activities, Ginter also served as a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church Council, was Church Treasurer, taught Sunday School, was a member of the VFW, Swift County Historical Society, the Lions Club, and served on the Board of the Cooperative Credit Union.Ginter is survived by a daughter, Lynette (Gary) Anderson of Cambridge; two sons, Alan (Marge) Rice of Old Saybrook, CT; Rodney (Pam) Rice of Rapid City, SD; a sister, Donna Mikkelson of Benson; nine grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Marion, in 1998; sisters Adora, Dagmar, and Verone; brothers Osborne and Donald; and his parents.
