Iva May Rinehart

On December 22, 2017, Iva May Rinehart (nee Sparrow), age 74 of Bel Air, Md.
died peacefully at home after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, with
her family at her side.

Iva was the beloved wife of Gary W. Rinehart for 48 years, loving mother of Heather Leigh
Hoppenstein and husband Brian of Westminster, Md., Gary B. Rinehart and wife Jenni of Baldwin, Md., cherished Mom-mom of Brandon Hoppenstein, Meredith Hoppenstein, Delilah Rinehart, and Sebastian Rinehart. Dearest sister of Catherine Miles of Mooresville, NC, John Sparrow (Ellen) of Manchester, Md., and Gladys Skirka (Bill) of Baltimore, Md. Also she was God-mother to Vickie Meckel and had many, many nieces and nephews.

She was the daughter of the late Irma Mable Volkert Sparrow and Henry Clay Sparrow.
Iva was born at home on McHenry St. in Baltimore on January 16, 1943. She was pre-deceased by brothers Clayton, Lewis, Earl (infant), Robert, Donald, and Billy (infant). Sisters Anna Campbell, Ellene Glaze, and Ginny Dennis.

She retired from the former Gleneagles Sewing Factory in Bel Air, and enjoyed building and collecting miniature doll houses along with crocheting and sewing, travelling, especially cruising the seas along with her husband and friends. They cruised around the Hawaiian Islands, to Alaska, New England and Canada, Panama Canal, Central and South America, and many Caribbean island nations. Iva also loved to visit Assateague National Seashore several times each year along with visits to Ocean City, and the many nearby civil war battlefields. She enjoyed watching classic movies, operas, and musicals. Along with her husband, she enjoyed travelling to many yearly reunions of the USS Hornet CVS-12 around the country and meeting up with many dear friends and shipmates. She was a very caring person who always wanted to help others.

In lieu of flowers you can make donations to St. Judes Children's Research Hospital,
501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.