Ella May wished to be cremated and have her family scatter her ashes privately.  Those wishes will be honored.

Ella May (Culbertson) Rinehart was born March 25, 1931, in Appleton City, Mo., to Curtis Lemmie Culbertson and Delsie Faye (Ditty) Culbertson.

She graduated from Appleton City High School in 1948 and had made bookkeeping her profession. In 1949, she started working for Zink Motor Company and finished her career with the City of Hollister in 1993.  She lived in Forsyth, Mo. from 1986 to 2012 when she returned to Appleton City.

She married H. Gordon Pippenger January 15, 1949, and to this union 2 sons were born.  On July 21, 1979, she married James A Rinehart.

Survivors include her sons: Kevin Pippenger and Jack (Tracie) Pippenger of Australia; her grandchildren:  Matthew (Stephanie) Pippenger of Kansas City, Mo., Lucas (Cassendra) Pippenger, and Evan (Aubry) Pippenger of North Dakota; her stepchildren:  Louis (Daisy) Rinehart, Karen (Bob) Brewer and James E. Rinehart; eight step-grandchildren, two step-great grandchildren and one step nephew Larry Kelly; brother-in-law Richard (Dixie) Rinehart of Wayzatta, M0.

She was preceded in death by her parents; stepfather Elmer Ash; husband James Rinehart; stepsister Carol Kelly; two step-nieces, Nancy Weiderman and Barbara Hedger.