Alice Faye Lee Rice, 77, of Saltillo, Mississippi, passed away on Friday, January 28, 2022 surrounded by loved ones. Alice was born on April 10, 1944 in Tupelo. After graduating with honors from Tupelo High School, she attended Itawamba Junior College, Mississippi State University and Ole Miss. On her commute by bus to MSU, Alice met and later married James (Jim) Reginald Rice. They moved to California during Jim’s military service where Alice embraced new adventures like riding dune buggies in the desert and traveling into Mexico. Alice and Jim went on to have 3 children – Jim Jr., Jeff and Jerae. She worked as a bank teller and held clerical positions before joining the U.S. Postal Service where she spent most of her career. There she rose from her clerical role to Postmaster, an accomplishment she was very proud of. The other roles she considered her greatest accomplishments were as a mother and as a grandmother. She cherished spending time with her five grandchildren and schooling them in a mean game of Scrabble. Alice was sweet, strong, courageous and independent. She enjoyed traveling and had a special fondness for the National Park System. Her last visit to a national park was to Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska.Alice was a member of the Saltillo First United Methodist Church, Tupelo Christian Women’s Club, National Spasmodic Torticollis Association. She enjoyed supporting veteran and research organizations, Including many years fundraising for the American Cancer Association.
Alice was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Rice, Sr.; her parents, Rebecca Sheffield and Joe E. Curry; brothers, Ellis Curry and Hollis Curry; son, Jim Rice, Jr. and grandson, Dalton Rice. She is survived by her son, Jeff Rice (Amy Thomas) of Saltillo; daughter, Jerae Rice Carlson (Tim) of Missouri City, TX; grandchildren, Grant Carlson, Rebecca Carlson, Cameron Carlson and Austin Burton (Kimberly); great grandchildren, Forrest Burton and Olivia Burton; sisters-in-law, Jenny Curry Stephens and Libby Curry; nephew, Matthew Curry; great niece, Kimber Lee Curry; and her extended family and many friends..
Services will be on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 3 pm at Holland Funeral Directors-Sadie Holland Memorial Chapel. Visitation will be on Monday, January 31, 2022 from 5-7 pm and Tuesday, February 1 from 2-3 at Holland Funeral Directors. Burial will follow at Saltillo City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Regional Rehabilitation Center in Tupelo.
