Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Grice Spivey

On Saturday, December 7, 2024 following a brief illness, Benjamin Grice Spivey, a remarkable great-grandfather who led an exemplary life, passed away at age 95. Known to his family as "Grice," Mr. Spivey went by "Ben" to his more recent friends. On March 25, 1929, in Alma, Bacon County, Georgia, Grice was born to Luther T. Spivey and Carrie Belle Grice Spivey. As a child, he moved to Quitman, Georgia with his parents and two brothers. He graduated from Quitman High School in 1946. In 1950, Grice graduated from North Georgia College with a BS in Business Administration. While at NGC, Grice met the love of his life, Lucinda Paradise. They were married in December 1950 and began a loving partnership lasting until Lucinda's death in 2005. In addition to earning his degree at NGC, Grice received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry. He served our country as an Infantry Officer for over 20 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His career was bookmarked by wars in Korea and Vietnam. In 1951, Grice reported to Korea where he was assigned to the 5th Regimental Combat Team during the latter years of the Korean War. After the armistice was signed in Panmunjom on July 27, 1953, he returned to Georgia and taught at the Infantry Officers Advanced Class at Fort Benning and at the ROTC program at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. Grice twice served in Alaska - first at Fort Richardson in Anchorage at Headquarters U.S. Army and second as Assistant Commandant of the Northern Warfare Training Center in Fort Greely. Between those assignments, he taught at the Command & General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. Another overseas assignment took Grice to Saudi Arabia for a year as a military advisor to the Ministry of Defense in Riyadh. Grice received orders to Vietnam in 1969 as a liaison officer to the Army of the Republic of Korea who was fighting there as U.S. allies. Grice retired from the U.S. Army in 1971. During his Army career, Grice & Lucinda had four children. When Grice retired, the family moved to his hometown of Quitman, Georgia. He began a second career in business as a supervisor with South Georgia Grocery Company. Grice was an active member of Quitman United Methodist Church, serving on various committees, and was a member of the "Men's Prayer Breakfast." He retired again in 1985. Lucinda passed away in 2005. Several years later, Grice moved to Wesley Woods retirement community in Newnan, Georgia where he could be near his eldest daughter, Beverly. Grice played trombone at NGC. He played for the college dance band "The Generals." He was Band Company Commander by his senior year as a cadet. He encouraged his children to get involved in band and even taught them to read music. Laura played clarinet, Bruce played saxophone, and Russell followed in Grice's footsteps and played trombone. Grice was a voracious reader and an avid crossword solver - actually, the word is "cruciverbalist" (he'd know that!). He loved to cook breakfast and to relax with a dry martini at the end of the day. He could snow-ski, drive a boat, fish, and play bridge, poker, & cribbage. Grice did not (or would not) own a cell phone (but he could certainly hear yours go off - even at low volume.) Moreover, when trying to find and answer to a peculiar question, he would often ask Beverly, "Google that for me, will ya?" At an early age, Grice learned to play bridge. He became an accomplished bridge player, and the game was one of his passions even while at Wesley Woods. Bridge is a social and competitive game requiring tremendous memory and strategy. It is a game played with a partner, and Grice's favorite partner was Lucinda. Benjamin Grice Spivey was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lucinda, and eldest son, Bruce, as well as his brothers, Luther Talmage Spivey and William "Bill" Vernon Spivey. He is survived by three children, Beverly Jennings of Newnan, Georgia, Laura Spivey of Waynesboro, Virginia, and Russell (Penny) Spivey of Savannah, Georgia. He was "Grand Dad" to six grandchildren, and "Great Daddy" to eight great-grandchildren. Grice always firmly believed that "there's a little light in every dark day!" In his correspondence to his family (always handwritten of course), Grice was ever fond of closing with "do good, stay well, and be happy." A Celebration of Grice's life will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 2:00 pm in the Thompkins Auditorium of Wesley Woods of Newnan. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wesley Woods of Newnan, to the Newnan-Coweta Public Safety Foundation, or to a charity of the donor's choice. To share condolences online, please visit www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 770-253-4580.

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Grice Spivey

March 25, 1929 - December 7, 2024