Rae Anne (Huffman) Sparrow
Rae Anne (Huffman) Sparrow, age 71, died on Monday evening, September 4, 2023, after a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy Body dementia. She died peacefully at home, surrounded by family.
Born August 21, 1952, at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX, she was the beloved daughter of the late H. Ray and Mary (Allen) Huffman. She was the loving wife of Warren Sparrow, her husband of 50 years.
As a young child, she lived in her parents’ hometown of Hinton, WV. Her later childhood was spent in Chicago, IL, where she completed her first seven years of schooling. She retained many lifelong friends from that time of her life, most notably Vicky and Lita. Her family moved to Maryland in 1965, and she graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1970. Following the birth of her first two sons, she earned her RN from Catonsville Community College in 1984. In 2001, she returned to school again and earned her BSN from Villa Julie College in 2004.
Her nursing career began at Frederick Memorial Hospital in February 1985, and in 1988, continued at Carroll County General (now Carroll Hospital), until her medical retirement in 2010. She was most proud of the many years she spent as the childbirth educator at Carroll.
She was a dedicated member of Westminster Baptist Church and served her Lord in many ways, including almost 25 years as the church pianist.
She loved all her family deeply and was a driving force in establishing and then coordinating the Huffman-Allen family reunion.
In addition to her husband, those left to cherish her memory are sons, David Warren (Julia) of Westminster, Adam Keith (Alexandria) of Westminster, and Kyle Ray (Kate) of Hanover, PA; a sister, Linda Huffman (Gerard) of Sykesville; a brother, Randy Huffman (Dan) of Towson; beloved grandson, Frederick Warren Sparrow of Westminster; cousins, Dreama Thompson (of VA) and Teresa DeWitt (of WV), with whom she was very close; and her best friend, Terri Burgstiner of Savannah, GA.
The family will welcome friends on Saturday, September 9, 2023, from 2-4 p.m. at the Burrier-Queen Funeral Home, 1212 W. Old Liberty Rd., Winfield, MD 21784. The funeral will be held at Westminster Baptist Church, 354 Crest Lane, Westminster, MD 21157 on Sunday, September 10, at 2:30 p.m. with Pastor Larry Steen officiating. The family will receive friends 30 minutes prior to the service.
A graveside service will be at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Mount Zion Church cemetery on Zion Mountain. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Pivont Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation or the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
Information submitted by Pivont Funeral Home, Hinton, WV.
