Winnifred "Sue" Rice Harris' Obituary
Winnifred “Sue” Rice Harris of Lowell, AR was born in Fayetteville, AR to William Clarence and Essie Viola Rice on February 3, 1941, the youngest girl of eight children. She passed away peacefully on March 10, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.
Sue lived a wonderfully full life filled with love and a bit of adventure. She was always kind, thoughtful, generous, and enjoyed sharing good times with family and friends. She was a lifelong Purple Dog and an avid Arkansas Razorback fan no matter what. Sue was an amazing cook known for things like her Texas sheet cake, chicken & homemade noodles, her delicious scratch made biscuits & gravy, and her famous chocolate chip pan cookies. She was blessed and grateful to travel a bit around the world with her niece, Pam. Just know you could not or should not ask Sue for directions because you would get just a “Go North” as she was severely directionally challenged.
After graduating from Fayetteville High School in 1959, she married Virgil Clifford Harris on September 2, 1960, and headed to California. Sue’s greatest moments in life were when she became a mom; to Jeff in 1968 and then to Cara in 1971. Being their mom was the best job she said she ever had. The family moved back to Fayetteville in 1981. After a brief, year-long move to California in 1983, she returned once again to Fayetteville and opened Crossover Video in 1984. Sue divorced in 1988 and devoted herself to her business that she loved and made numerous friends there until she sold the business in 1994.
Sue was the epitome of a social butterfly. In her children’s younger years, she was always a classroom mom, coached her daughter’s softball teams and lead her son’s pop warner football team’s cheer squads. She, along with several classmates, coordinated her class reunions for the last 50 years. Sue was respected by her peers for her organizational skills and could be depended upon to keep her word. Sue was also the official activities organizer and unofficial director of the committees at the retirement community where she lived in Lowell for many years.
Sue is survived by her two adoring children: son Jeff Harris and wife Gladina of North Little Rock, AR, daughter Cara Ducharme and husband Bryan of Centerton, AR, her grandchildren Corey Harris and wife April of Pensacola, FL, Courtney Harris of Maumelle, AR, Conner Ducharme of Rogers, AR, and Riley Ducharme of Centerton, AR. Sue also has great-grandchildren Tatum Harris of Alma, AR and Presley & Lynlee Wood of Maumelle, AR. Sue is also survived by her baby brother Fred Rice and wife Cindy of Monroe, WI, and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends who spent many wonderful hours in her company.
Sue is preceded in death by her parents, her siblings: Betty Jean Willis, Mabel Bell Jones Triska, Gladys Ressie Mae Clark, Clarence “Junior” Rice, Wanda Jewel Mechsner Clark, and Jo Ann Danner along with several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Sue’s life will be on March 22, 2024, at 2:00pm at Nelson Berna Funeral Home in Fayetteville. In true Sue fashion, we ask that everyone wear either your best Fayetteville High Bulldog or Arkansas Razorback attire.
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