Phyllis Ann Rice

Phyllis Ann Rice, age 82, of Fayetteville died Wednesday, July 30, 2014, in Fayetteville. She was born March 12, 1932, in Texarkana, Ark., the daughter of James Guy and Catherine Margaret Bradley Petty. She was preceded in death by her husband, D. Kent Rice; her parents; and a daughter, Margaret Elaine Rice. She was a retired assistant to Mayor Fred Hanna in Fayetteville. She was also a former reporter and writer for the Northwest Arkansas Times. She received her master's degree at the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Ill. She is survived by two sons, Aaron Kent Rice of Fayetteville and James Loren Rice; a brother, James G. Petty Jr. and his wife, Debbie, of Searcy; numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Graveside service will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014, at Corley Cemetery, Mount Magazine, Paris, Ark., under the direction of Moore's Chapel. To sign the online guest book, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.