FARNHAM—Joyce Smither Rinehart, 80, a resident of Edgewater, Md., and Farnham, died on December 22, 2022, after a seven-month battle with cancer.
Joyce was born in Riverdale, Md., on November 7, 1942, to the late Carlie and Ruth Smither. She grew up in Hyattsville, Md. and spent her holidays and summers with her grandparents in the Northern Neck where both her parents were from.
Joyce graduated from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville in 1960 and started her career at the National Bureau of Standards, Radiation Physics Division, in Washington, D.C. After marrying the love of her life, Kenneth C. Rinehart, she became a full-time mom raising her children.
In 1969, Joyce and her husband started a business, General Machine Shop, Inc. where she was officially the secretary/treasurer but performed all types of duties. She retired from the family business in 1996 to take care of her granddaughter full time while her husband and grown children continued to run the family business which is still in operation today.
Joyce traveled extensively yet was most happy at home in her garden, pulling weeds, digging in the dirt and planting flowers. When she wasn’t in her garden she was taking care of her lawn on her John Deere tractor with a huge smile on her face. She loved to shop and go antiquing but her greatest treasure was her family.
Joyce and her husband were longtime members of the Chesapeake Bay Powerboat Association in which they were very active and made many friends. Her favorite boating trips were riding across the Chesapeake Bay to St. Michaels for the weekend or cruising down to the Tides Inn in Irvington.
Joyce is survived by her husband of 60 years, Kenneth C. Rinehart; two sons, Robert and Keith (Lori), both of Edgewater; daughter, Cynthia Norris (John) of Harwood, Md.; and four grandchildren, Jacob (Colleen) and Carly Rinehart and Sarah and Kenny Norris. She is also survived by her niece, Maggie Smither Johnson (Andrew) and great-niece, Julia, all of Riverdale and lifelong friend Mally King of Farnham.
In addition to her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her brother, Richard Smither (Julia); and nephew, Jonathan Roy Smither.
Friends were invited to celebrate Joyce’s life from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, December 29, at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Road., Edgewater, where her funeral service was held at 10 a.m. Friday, December 30. Interment followed at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville, Md. Condolences may be made at KalasFuneralHomes.com.
