Elizabeth Houston Mitchell Rish, 90, passed peacefully from this life into the next on April 12, 2026.

Visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Houston Funeral Home with services following at 2:00 with Bro. Terry Rhodes and Bro. Don Locke officiating. Burial will be in the newly established Rish Hill Family Cemetery on the beloved family farm that she and Coach Rish spent many years building together. Rish Alford, John Atkinson, Martin Faulkner, Tommy Futral, Jason Davis and Kyle Peel will serve as pallbearers with the Friday Bridge Ladies as honorary pallbearers.

A career educator, Elizabeth taught for 30 years, the last 20 of which were in the Houston School District teaching sixth grade math. After retiring she and Coach Rish traversed the country for ten years spending at least one night in every state except Hawaii. She was instrumental in establishing a meal ministry at Houston First Baptist Church for families having lost loved ones. She had many hobbies; among them playing bridge, sewing, floral arrangement and yard work. An avid Mississippi State basketball fan, Elizabeth rarely missed a game at The Hump. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Houston. 

She is survived by her children, Karen Lyon (Hart) of Canton, Mary Frances DelMonico of Winston-Salem, NC; Billy Joe Rish, Jr. (Ann) of Houston and Bingham Mitchell Rish (Michelle) of Houston; six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. 

She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Billy Joe Rish, Sr., her parents Elizabeth Mercier Mitchell and Samuel Bingham Mitchell and one grandson, Jonathan Paul DelMonico.