Jewel Reinhardt

Jewel S. Reinhardt, born in Brooklyn, New York, November 28, 1938, passed away May 8, 2016, in El Paso, Texas, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Jewel was the daughter of the late Louis and Ann Hoffman Reinhardt. Mr. Reinhardt was the photographer of the famous Hindenburg airship crash in New Jersey, in 1937. He sold that remarkable photo to the Associated Press, and thus launched his career as a photographer. Eventually he and his family moved to Greenbelt, MD, and Louis worked as a white house photographer with a top security clearance. From there the Reinhardts moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Louis was the official photographer for the White Sands Missile Range. Jewel loved to tell the story that she and her Mother thought they were moving to the wild, wild west when her Father was assigned to New Mexico! Jewel graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1956. They learned to love the area and its great climate, and when Louis retired they made El Paso, TX, their permanent home. They made many friends in both Las Cruces and El Paso, and Jewel became involved in many civic affairs including chairing and serving in the Muscular Dystrophy telethon for many years and receiving a special award from Jerry Lewis; the El Paso Democratic Women's Club in which Jewel served as President and held several other offices in the organization and was the perennial luncheon chairman for the group. She was a volunteer in many political campaigns throughout the years and until the end kept her TV tuned to news of the coming elections. She volunteered helping the Staff of the Regional Day School for the Hearing Impaired to provide Christmas for its neediest students, and volunteered her time in hospitals on Christian holidays in order that they may observe their religion. Jewel held the El Paso Community Foundation in very high esteem and served on its Grant's Committee. She also, being a great movie buff, was an avid participant in the Foundation's annual Film Festival. For 27 years Jewel was a proud employee of the El Paso County Appraisal District where she was surrounded by friends from her "work family" several of whom actively participated in her care during her time in Hospice Care. Family gratitude goes to Dinah and Johnny Kilgore, Dina Ornelas, Anna Cordova and the late Yvonne Rodriquez who helped care for Jewel during the early part of her illness. Survivors are her beloved first cousins Marcia Raff of Austin, Texas, and Mimi Kersun of Jacksonville, Florida, of whom she had wonderful childhood memories and numerous second cousins. Also surviving Jewel are her very close and loving adopted family members Paul Carvalho, Barton and LaNelle Boling, Ann Anchondo, Anna Maria, Tatiana, William, Susana and Gianna Anchondo, and Bart and Vanessa Boling all of whom will miss her dearly. We will always remember Jewel for her loyalty --- to our country, to her religion, to her parents and to her family and friends. We would like to thank Dr. Vallilis and the staff of Texas Oncology, the staff of Mariposa Hospice at Providence, the Global Hospice at the Texas Palliative Care Center and Dr. Melissa Bobadilla and the Providence Infusion Staff for all the loving care Jewel received during her illness. Those wishing to make a memorial gift in Miss Reinhardt's memory may donate to Temple Mt. Sinai or to The El Paso Community Foundation Film Festival or to a charity of your choice. Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at Temple Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 3915 Gateway West, with Rabbi Ben Zeidman officiating. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home-West. Please visit our online guestbook at www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net