Tony Rice AKA Ninja Memorial Fund

Hi everyone, it's your friend and brother Mike Dee. It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of legendary New York bike messenger Ninja, a.k.a Tony Rice.
     Ninja died suddenly at home on Tuesday September 9th. His cause of death has yet to be determined. Because of the pandemic, we may be waiting a while to find out what exactly happened to him.
     Tony was an essential worker. He went out every day to deliver people the food and household supplies that they needed to stay home while the pandemic ran through our society. He didn't complain and he didn't show fear.  He stayed positive and focused on doing his job safely and supporting his family.  Ninja worked a job that few people have the strength and courage to do, and he wasn't going to let a global pandemic, economic collapse and mass uprising stop him. 
    In his decades long messenger career Ninja became a fixture of our social life. Ninja always came to our races and charity events and volunteered his time to help organize and run many successful races and events.
   Ninja was also one of our greatest ambassadors, representing the messengers of NYC in numerous ad campaigns, films and art projects, including a cameo in the film "Premium Rush". Any fan would recognize Ninja from the opening scene of every episode of "Throwdown! with Bobby Flay" where he portrayed himself delivering the secret mission to Bobby every week.  
    He is survived by his wife Roslyn Hill. Roz is devastated by the tragic death of her husband and we would like to help her as much as we can in her time of need. 
     On behalf of the New York messenger community I have started this fundraiser to help offset the substantial cost of his funeral and memorial service.
     All of the funds raised will go to offset the substantial costs of Tony's funeral and memorial service.  Roslyn Hill and I will both be involved in the payment process for the funeral memorial.  Any monies remaining will go to Roslyn Hill for a suggested memorial of her choosing, i.e. dedicated bench in a New York City park. Any money left after that will be spent at Roslyn Hills' discretion.

GOFUNDME REQUESTED CLARIFICATIONS FOLLOW.
This fundraiser is organized by Michael Dee, a resident of Brooklyn, New York. I have been friends with Tony Rice and his wife Roslyn Hills for over twenty years. 
At the time of his passing, Tony and Roslyn didn't have enough money to cover the cost of Tony's funeral and cremation services. I paid for his services with my credit card so that we could send Tony home is a proper and befitting manner in a timely fashion. We have now raised enough money to cover these costs. Roslyn and Tony's family are full of gratitude to the community for their assistance in these tumultuous times. I, Michael Dee will be withdrawing these funds into my bank account to pay the funeral costs that I incurred on my credit card. The remaining money will be given to Roslyn Hill in a certified bank check. Roslyn will use this money for a memorial bench to dedicate to Tony in the Tompkins Square park "Row of Legends" that has benches dedicated to beloved members of the New York Bicycle Courier Community that have passed on. 
On a personal note, I am grateful for all of the donations that have been sent in. Thank you all for showing so much love and respect for our fallen brother. 

-Mike Dee