Edna Rice, 97, peacefully passed away on July 22, 2024, in McLean Virginia.

A celebration of Edna’s life will be held at noon on Friday, Oct. 4, with a mass at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, the inurnment will follow at Magnolia Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Saint Mary’s prior to the funeral service.

Edna was born on July 9, 1927 in Sarepta, Mississippi to E.C. “Buck” and Myrtle Dean (Arnold) Womble. She graduated from Lambert High School in 1944, then moved to Memphis  where she worked for American Airlines.

While there she met her future husband, Howard Rice, and they married on March 21, 1947. They had six children and Howard‘s career with the Air Force took the family to many different places, including Turkey, and Germany. Traveling the world with a big and boisterous family was no small feat but she always created a loving home for her family no matter where they settled.

Edna’s life was dedicated to her role as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. In addition to caring for her family, over the years Edna held a variety of administrative positions. Always outgoing and social, she quickly made friends where ever she was. After both Howard and Edna retired, they continued their travel until eventually returning to Batesville. She lived there until Howard passed away in 2004. The last 14 years of her life, she lived in McLean, Virginia.

Her warm, friendly and loving nature will be her legacy and remembered by family and friends. She relished family gatherings and her kind presence and gentle spirit made everyone feel loved, valued, important and cared about. She could be counted on for her thoughtful advice and was always willing to listen and help with any problem – no matter how big or small.

Edna is survived by 5 children, 7 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. In recent years she expressed amazement at having lived so many years and had experienced so much in her lifetime . We are grateful that she was our mother for 97 years, the center of our lives, and we will miss her every day.