Mattie C. Rice

Mattie Cornelia Rice was born, May 3, 1950, in Clinton, South Carolina.  Affectionately called “Baby”, Mattie was the youngest daughter and youngest child of the late John T. Rice and Nancy Gary Rice. She passed away on Thursday, December 18, 2025.

She graduated from Bell Street High School, where she was a high-stepping, baton-twirling majorette. Shortly after graduating high school, Mattie worked at Anderson Hosiery for several years, and then Asten Press for over twenty years.

She was a devoted member of Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Clinton, South Carolina, and looked forward to attending church services.

Mattie enjoyed doing creative dances, playing crossword puzzles, doing word searches, board games, educational games, participating in Vacation Bible School, and other fun things with her young nieces (Selina, Zelbra, Anita, and Carla) as they were growing up and spending their summers with their grandparents and Mattie, who lived with them on Bell Street and then Gary Street.

Mattie also enjoyed going to the movies, shopping and visiting tourist attractions. She and her sister and nieces would travel together. Every year, Mattie and her sister would take a train to New York to visit their brother Sonny Boy and sister-in-law Zelbra. They also visited their uncle Willie and aunt Bessie and cousins in New York.

Nearly two decades ago, Mattie and her former classmates traveled to Mexico on a cruise ship as part of their class reunion. Several months before having to resort to going into a nursing home, Mattie would get her sister-in-law, Johnnie Mae, or her niece, Nancy, to run errands for her.

In October 2008, after being released from a hospital in Greenville, Mattie was sent to a nursing home in Rock Hill. Then, in November 2008, two weeks before Thanksgiving, at her sister's request, she was transferred to The Heritage at Lowman, which would put her closer to her sister. Of the 17 years that she lived at the nursing home, for the first 11 years, she (along with some of the other residents) would be transported to restaurants to dine and retail stores to shop. This was done on a monthly basis.

Mattie's childhood friend Barbara Smith would occasionally visit her and bring her a gift of something new to wear. Mattie had a phone that her sister had given her. She would get calls from family and friends, and she would make calls to family and friends and the home shopping network channel. The staff at the nursing home called her a fashionista because she was always buying clothes, jewelry, hair accessories, scarves, and shoes that would eventually be donated to make room for more.

She would call her sister or nieces when she wanted them to meet up with her on her outings for dinner and shopping at retail stores, and if she needed them to bring her something from the superstore or wanted them to attend church service with her on Easter at The Heritage at Lowman. Mattie would also call her great-niece, Brenda, or her great-nephew, Tony, to order something online for her and have Tony go miles away to pick it up and bring it to her. And while they were there, they would watch detective shows with her and were impressed with how current she was. Mattie's sister would have her picked up from the nursing home to attend special events and Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family. Her nieces and sister would visit her regularly at the nursing home and sometimes participate in activities with her in the activity center. They would meet up with her at the annual state fair, where her drawings and crafts would be awarded first place and honorable mention. One year, Mattie and some of the other residents at the nursing home were taken to a restaurant in her hometown, Clinton, South Carolina, and she was delighted her friend, Ruth Richey, met up with her.

Mattie left her family and friends with many fond memories to cherish, and she lives on in their hearts.

In addition to her parents, Mattie was preceded in death by her brothers, Stover "Sonny Boy" Gary, Charles Rice and John Thomas Rice, Jr.

She is lovingly survived by her sister, Mary Ann Rice Cullum; two sisters-in-law, Johnnie Mae Rice and Evangeline Rice; seven nieces, Selina (Philip) Caradona, Zelbra (Cornell) Hopkins, Anita Cullum McCants, Carla R. Cullum, Tara (Jason) Franklin, and Nancy Rice, Carmen Rice; three great nieces, Brenda McCants, Christina Caradona and Kaila Franklin; four great nephews, Philip Charles Caradona, Tony (Yates) McCants, Pierce Caradona, Jayden Franklin; and many other relatives and friends.

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