Nakisha Rochell (Means) Rice

With deep sorrow and immeasurable love, we announce the passing of Nakisha Means Rice, a cherished wife, devoted mother, loving grandmother, beloved sister, and dear friend. Nakisha departed this life on June 16, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, strength, and joy that will never be forgotten.

Born on October 3, 1978, in Union, South Carolina, Nakisha was the beloved daughter of the late Elizabeth Ann “Pee Wee” Means and Dewitt Smith. She attended Union High, graduating class of ‘96. In 2016 she received her Associate Degree in Business & Marketing. She was raised in a close-knit family that instilled in her the values of love, resilience, and faith—qualities she carried throughout her life and passed on to everyone she touched.

Nakisha was the devoted wife of Khary Rice and the proud mother of three children: D.J. Humphries (Briyana Humphries), Jaiyla Rice, and Khary Rice Jr. She adored her grandchildren: Dae, Dash, Nova, and Nellie Humphries, each of whom brought light and laughter to her life every day.

She is survived by her loving husband Khary, her children D.J., Jaiyla, and Khary Jr., her grandchildren Dae, Dash, and Nova, her father Dewitt Smith (Debbie Smith), her sister Ronica Rice, her aunt Louvenia B. Gory, and her uncles E.J. Browning and George Browning.

Nakisha now joins her loved ones who preceded her in eternal rest: her mother Elizabeth Ann Means, her granddaughter Nellie Rose Humphries, her aunts Margaret J. Byrd, Barbara B. Jeter, and Sandra F. Jeter, and her uncle Paul E. Means.

Nakisha was the heart of her family and a light to all who knew her. Her generosity, fierce loyalty, infectious laugh, and open-hearted love will forever echo in the lives she touched. She lived with purpose, gave without hesitation, and loved without condition.

A memorial gathering will be Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Citizens & Southern Event Center, 148 West Main Street, Spartanburg, SC, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. 

Arrangements have been entrusted to Community Mortuary Inc., 102 Marion Avenue, Spartanburg, SC. 

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