Lee LaVell McIntire |
| Posted 2021-05-13 by mhenderson |
| Published in Parker Pioneer from Apr. 27 to Apr. 28, 2021 - Parker, Arizona - On his sixty-sixth wedding anniversary, Monday, April 12, 2021, beloved husband and father Lee LaVell McIntire passed away, surrounded by his family, at his home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. LaVell was born in Brigham City, Utah, on Aug. 22, 1929, to Edgar Alexander and Elsa Hunsaker McIntire. "Long and skinny," as he described himself, LaVell grew up with four siblings in Standrod, Utah. He joined the U.S. Air Force at age eighteen, and briefly attended the University of Idaho and Brigham Young University. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Netherlands, LaVell married Joan Cline in 1955 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Together they had eight children. Though he did not expect to, LaVell worked in various industries before becoming a Funeral Director. He assisted at a Phoenix, Arizona funeral home for several years and later owned his own funeral home in Parker, Arizona, for thirty-five years. He and Joan also ran "The Shrubbery," a print, flower, and pet shop. LaVell dedicated his life to caring for others, especially through his callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including as bishop and stake patriarch. In his community, he served as Vice Mayor, on the city council, and in the local Rotary club. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the first hospital in Parker. In 1996, LaVell returned to the Netherlands, this time with Joan by his side, as they served a full- time mission. After their mission, he and Joan resided in Rio Rancho for twenty-one years. You could always count on LaVell for a warm hug, a sincere testimony, and impassioned storytelling. Some of his grandchildren's favorite stories originate during his time as a mortician, including one that involved the hearse running out of gas on the way to a service. LaVell's laugh when he told these stories was particularly infectious, and we will miss it very much. LaVell was preceded in death by his sister and brother, Ethlyn and Edgar Bernell McIntire; son-in-law Chuck McGovern; and granddaughter Raven Jeffords. He is survived by his wife, Joan; brother Kent and sister Carla Morell; children Terry, Shelley (Keith), Misty (Dave), Mindy (Mike), Kendall (Kandra), Val (Donna), Kim (Joni), and Trena (Michael); thirty-two grandchildren; and twenty-nine great- grandchildren. A Viewing was held on Friday, April 16, 2021, with funeral services at the Bernalillo Latter-day Saints Church Building, at 275 Avenida de Bernalillo, Bernalillo, New Mexico. A Graveside Service was held on Saturday, April 17, at Parker Cemetery in Parker, Arizona. Condolences may be expressed at www.riversidefunerals.com. Funeral arrangements, in Arizona, have been entrusted to Desert Lawn Funeral Home in Parker. See Also: Find A Grave |
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