AZ3 Kivan-Lee Morton Rice

Funeral service for AZ3 Kivan-Lee Morton Rice, 22 of Norfolk, Virginia will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 17, 2021 at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home Chapel. 

Mr. Rice passed away on February 28, 2021. 

Burial, with full military honors, will be held at Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, Oklahoma. 

Viewing will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. 

Due to covid restrictions masks and social distancing are required at the funeral home and the cemetery. 

Kivan-Lee Morton Rice, (22), was born February 10th, 1999, in Fort Worth, Texas to Katharin Rice and Reginald-Lee Morton.  Both of his parents were in the Navy and stationed in Naples, Italy when they met.  Kivan-Lee’s father served in both the US. Army, and then was a US Navy Seal, until he retired after 20 years of combined service.  Kivan’s mother served in the US Navy for 9 years, and then transitioned to the Army and served 11 years, retiring with 20 years of combined service (2016) as a Chief Warrant Officer Two. He spent his elementary and middle school years being shuffled between residing with his “honorary” grand-parents, Kelvin and Cynthia Brooks in Jacksonville, Florida, and traveling to numerous duty stations with his mother when she was reassigned.  Kivan-Lee attended the following high schools: Elgin High school in Elgin, OK; New Mexico Military Institute’s High School Program in Roswell, New Mexico, and finally, Cache High School in Cache, Oklahoma.  Kivan-Lee was an incredible football player and played football all throughout each high school he attended.  He was very successful as a Junior and Senior in Cache High school playing Running Back, Corner Back and Wide Receiver positions.  He graduated from Cache High School in 2017. 

Kivan-Lee joined the United States Navy on June 18, 2018 in Lawton, Oklahoma and graduated Navy bootcamp in Great Lakes, IL August 10, 2018, receiving the National Service Medal.  From bootcamp, Kivan-Lee reported to his first command aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). He was assigned to the ship's Fire Watch  Division and Air Department (V4 Division) and served as a Fire Watch and Flight Deck Crewman. During his tour aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73), Kivan-Lee qualified as a Fire Party Team Leader and vigilantly stood 1,481 hours of watch, allowing 68,898 man-hours of hot work maintenance with zero mishaps. In October 2020, Kivan -Lee reported to Airborne Command & Control Squadron ONE TWO FOUR (VAW-124) and served as an Aviation Maintenance Administration Clerk in the Maintenance Department. During his tour with VAW-124, he flawlessly screened 1,972 maintenance actions, 37 aircraft and engine logbook entries, 96 scheduled inspections, and six Aeronautical Equipment Service Records, supporting the command's operational requirements. 

Kivan-Lee loved people, sports, and music.  He played the guitar, loved making people laugh, and never hesitated to help someone. Kivan-Lee was loving and energetic and loved all people and always took up for people. 

He is preceded in death by his father, Reginald Morton (2015) and his brother, Eliakim Kreed Gillis (2016).  
Kivan-Lee is survived by his mother, Katharin Rice-Gillis, his brother, Kristian Nixon, his step-father, Jason Gillis Sr.  He is survived by his step-siblings (Jason’s children): Shamika Gillis, Jason Gillis Jr., Patric Albritton, and Devon Gillis.  He is also survived by his other step-siblings (Kristian’s father, Jermaine Nixon’s children): Tyron Nixon, Shaquana Nixon, Jileel Nixon, and Jonavyn Nixon.  Kivan-Lee has a host of step-nieces and step-nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins, and a host of other relatives and friends.  

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