Iva Snyder's family was shocked when she returned to the family farm after an absence of 15 years. Iva ran away from hone at the age of 13 and her family had no idea where or how she was. Sadly, being on the farm brought painful memories to Iva. Though she loved her family, she had a deep dark secret that she was ashamed to reveal. Though she tried to keep the truth hidden, Iva finally told her mother her darkest secret: that she was raped by her own cousin, Josh, and had a child out that incestuous relationship. By now, Iva had met her daughter, Lily Walsh, and was horrified to learn that she was in love with Holden, Iva's own brother. After a long talk with Emma, Iva learned that she had nothing to be afraid of, since both she and Josh were both adopted into the Snyder family, neither her attack or Lily's relationship were incestuous. Eventually, Iva would meet her attacker again. By this point, Josh had become friends with Lily and mistakenly believing that Josh was hurting her, Iva blurted out to the pair that Josh was Lily's father. Eventually, Iva forgave Josh for what he did to her and also formed a close relationship with Lily. Iva also ended up meeting her own biological family—the Carpenters. Forced to give Iva up since they were too poor to care for her, by this point, the Carpenters were very well off.

After dealing with her past, Iva began a promising new relationship with businessman, Kirk Anderson. Unfortunately the relationship was strained because of Iva's sexual problems and it ended when Iva learned that Kirk had abandoned his wife and children with no means of support. When Kirk began seeing Iva's younger sister, Ellie, Iva, though hurt by the relationship, gave them her blessing. After ending it with Kirk, Iva decided she wanted to adopt a baby and was thrilled when Julie Wendall offered to let her adopt her son. Though initially she didn't know who the father was, Iva soon learned that it was Holden, who by now had married Lily. Not wanting to jeopardize their marriage, Iva kept the truth from Holden and adopted the child who she named Aaron. After a few years however Holden learned the truth and sued for and won custody of Aaron.

Along the way, Iva had a romance with John Dixon that resulted in her getting pregnant. After the birth of her son, M.J., Iva decided that she really didn't love John and embarked in a relationship with attorney Jason Benedict. After marrying, the couple moved to Washington, DC where Jason headed the government's Crime Commission. In June 1994, Iva, with Jason and MJ, briefly returned to town to attend Caleb's wedding to Julie Wendell.

Years later, Iva's quiet life was shaken when she received a shock: Rose D'Angelo, the woman who "stole" Lily's life, was her daughter! Apparently Iva had given birth to two babies without knowing it. Though Lily hated Rose at first, Iva decided to get to know her new daughter and welcomed her into the family. Sadly, Rose died a few short years later, devastating Lily.