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Martinsville High School Alumni
Class of 1965 Reply  |   Post Message  |   Message List
Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice.... - 12
06/08/21     Archer Thomasson  (1965)      Archer1710@msn.com

I thought it would be nice if we said a few words about Kathy, and our recollections of her. Please add you thoughts, a funny story, or one of Kathy’s kind deeds for others. Maybe we could send these to her sons, so that they might understand how much one person ‘can’ make a difference, and ‘did’ make a difference….

I met Kathy when we were about 5 years old. We both lived on Mountain Road. The Mitchell’s, with five kids, the Damerons with five or six, two Donavants, two Thomasson’s, three Ransom’s, the Wagoner’s, the Paynes, the Wheeler’s, and a hodgepodge of ‘little rascals’ roamed the street and surrounding creeks, forests, and meadows. If you remember ‘our gang’, you will recall that Darla was the spark plug that kept both sides (male and female) in check. There would be little dissention today if I said that Kathy Mitchell was ‘our gangs’ Darla. Kathy, being the youngest of five, was always in charge, and knew that a civilized society needed order to avoid mayhem. Kathy naturally assumed that position of leadership, and challenges were rare, as Kathy had that combination of beauty, brains, and determination to accomplish whatever the day or challenges might bring. I moved to Danville when I was ten, but Kathy had remained in Charge of the Mountain Road Gang. The best position that I could etch out was possibly Spanky, who would occasionally mock Darla, and liked to challenge her authority, but knew that Darla was the fabric that held the road safe from wandering tribes from Owen’s Road, and distant tribes like Bank’s and Myrtle. But I have it on good authority that Kathy continued for a few more years until she joined the Starling Avenue tribe. After one year in Danville, I returned to the ‘ville, and reunited with Kathy in Miss Hilda Marshall’s Seventh Grade Class.
I have written several times about people who ‘made a difference’, and came from the ‘ville. Most of these moved from the ‘ville, made money, became famous, but never forgot their humble origins. Kathy was the very heart and soul of the ‘ville. She found love and moved from the ‘ville, but after the loss of her husband, she had another love that drew her back….Martinsville and Henry County. Kathy was no stranger to sadness, but you would never hear Kathy complain. She brought the best out in all of us. We relied on Kathy to bring us together, keep us at peace, and informed on one another. Kathy may not have been the most successful, she may not have had the lifestyle of the ‘rich and famous’, but Kathy had the love and admiration of the ‘old dawgs of Mavahi’, and we are thankful for our time with her, and look forward to an old dawgs reunion in heaven! Thank you Kathy for a life well lived, and a legacy that we promise will not be forgotten….archie

 
06/08/21     Beth Hammil Byrnes  (1968)      aehbyrnes@gmail.com
Re: Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice....
What a beautiful and well written tribute. I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything so heart felt. I know she’d be pleased, Archie. Kathy will be missed by many.
06/09/21     Molly ( Hirons) Lewis  (1966)      goodgollymollyl@gmail.com
Re: Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice....
Archer, you have given Kathy a beautiful “send-off” with your compassionate words and the stories of your childhood with Kathy and other friends.
She obviously loved all things Mavahi, and she was such a bright spirit. I knew her in the mid-sixties ( my 9th and 10th grades, one year behind her), and she always had a smile and kind words. She was a fun person who loved and lived life the way it’s meant to be lived, and her positivity shown through. May this dear lady Rest In Peace, and may her family be comforted by the happy memories.
06/09/21     Cindy Franck  (1967)     
Re: Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice....
Archie, your tribute reminds me that we often don’t realize what we have until its gone. I came to depend on Kathy to keep the spirit of Mavahi going, without even realizing it. Our paths crossed several times in our adult lives and what you write is true. She had several great losses in her life, and supported loved ones through illnesses, but she kept her positive and giving spirit in tact and kept moving forward to make the world a better place. Kathy will be missed very very much. Prayers of peace and comfort to her family and all who loved Kathy.
06/12/21     Nelson Smith  (1969)      nelsonesmith@gmail.com
Re: Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice....
Great tribute, Archie. Though I didn't remember Kathy in high school (she was a senior and I was a lowly 8th grader at the Junior High), I had the pleasure of working with her on the Old Dawgs committee from the beginning until 2006. There was no doubt about it-she was in charge.
One of those Damerons you mentioned was, and still is, a friend of mine. As such, I considered him an honorary Northsider back then.
Dear Kathy is in a better place now and I am absolutely positive she will be waiting for us at the Pearly Gates with that great smile of hers, handing out assignments for the Old Dawgs of Heaven reunions.
06/12/21     Nelson Smith  (1969)      nelsonesmith@gmail.com
Re: Recollections of Kathy Mitchell Foster Rice....
That was a nice article that Holly Kozelsky at the Bulletin did on Kathy this past Tuesday. It was adjacent to her obituary.
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