MCINTYRE, David Eugene (Dave)

The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona Wednesday, February 12, 2014 This is In memory of David Eugene McIntyre, who passed away peacefully at age 86 in May 2012, with his loving family at his side, in San Rafael, Calif. Dave was born June 26, 1925, in Akron, Ohio. His happiest childhood memories were playing in local parks, and swimming in the nearby lakes and streams. He was always adventurous, intelligent, industrious, athletic, curious, and multifaceted. He collected stamps, built model airplanes, worked on Boy Scout merit badges, enjoyed hands-on learning, and was always on the cutting edge of technology (he blew out the kitchen window while experimenting with the chemistry set he received for Christmas). By the time he was 10 years old in 1935, with money earned, he bought a crystal set (simple radio requiring no electricity) and figured out how to pick up stations in Chicago and Pittsburgh, and soon corresponded with ham radio operators in Canada and Mexico, as well as the United States. David held many interesting jobs -- from elementary school to high school. He sold magazines (Boy’s Life, American Boy, etc.), had two paper routes at age 13, worked seasonally picking potatoes, caddied at Sunnybrook Golf Course, worked at one of the first supermarkets in Akron, worked for a ping-pong paddle manufacturer (routing the paddle edges), and moved steel stock around in a defense factory. He taught himself to drive as soon as he was of legal age, and he bought a Model A Ford for $35. He started hanging around neighborhood garages on weekends. This skill was the foundation for the work he would do in the Navy. During World World II, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After boot camp, he completed an eight-week class in diesel mechanics and was assigned to a minesweeper and sent to the South Pacific as the Chief Motor Machinist Mate, First Class. In February of 1946, three years and 12 days after his enlistment (February 1943), David was honorably discharged. A few months earlier (at 20 years of age), when assigned to a Sub Chaser-Patrol Craft headed for San Juan, Puerto Rico, one of the old salts greeted David with, “You’re the youngest acting chief petty officer seen yet.” After the end of World War II, David moved back to Ohio and renewed his education (ultimately receiving a degree from California State University of Los Angeles in 1972), enrolling at Kent State University. He played some football, joined the golf team, and enrolled in the Spanish program. In the summer of 1948, David traveled to Mexico and took classes at Mexico City College. His experience in Mexico sparked a lifelong love of the Mexican language and culture, and he increased his Spanish language skills to the level of “fluent.” Throughout his life, David would make many trips back to Mexico with family and friends, and relished speaking Spanish whenever the opportunity presented itself. Back in Akron, Ohio, in 1949, David started flying lessons, and flew his open cockpit Fairchild PT-19 plane(purchased for $300) from a dirt airfield near Tallmadge. It was in Akron, in 1951, that he met a fellow airplane aficionado, Betty, who would join him for the rest of his adventures. In 1951, David married his one and only life partner, Betty Lou Sheets, in Las Vegas just before moving to the Los Angeles area, where they resided for more than 25 years while raising their three children. David had a 22-year career with the Burbank Police Department, while rising though the ranks, and ultimately retired as a captain in 1979. During his tenure with the police department, he served as president of the Police Officers Association. In 1969, David was given a three-year leave of absence to work for the U.S. State Department advising Vietnamese National Police in Saigon. In 1969, in a Letter of Appreciation from his Province Senior Advisor in the Hua Nghia Provence, David (age 44) was recognized for his “outstanding professional competence and organizational ability,” “dynamic leadership,” and “battlefield courage above and beyond the call of duty.” After his service as Deputy Chief Advisor to the Public Safety Staff of the Capital National Police Command in Saigon, David’s colleagues honored him with a plaque in appreciation for his “dedication to service, motivation, and friendship,” which “will long be remembered by us who have worked with you.” In his limited spare time while raising a family, David pursued many interests -- including boating, fishing, water skiing, snow skiing, camping, and flying as a private pilot. This love of the outdoors had a profound effect on David’s three children, instilling in each of them (and ultimately his grandchildren) the love of, and respect for nature. All three of his children have carried on his appreciation of outdoor activities and over the years have enjoyed snow skiing, water skiing, camping, and extensive backpacking trips in many mountain ranges -- including the Sierra Nevada, the Rockies, and the Andes. After retiring in 1979, David and Betty moved to Wickenburg, where they lived for more than 30 years. At the age of 60, they started wind surfing, spending many summer weeks at Mission Bay in San Diego, Lake Havasu (a beloved family environmental camping/water skiing spot for 50 years) and Lake Pleasant. He and Betty also enjoyed bicycling and once rode 220 miles on their 10 speeds from Wickenburg to their condo in Palm Desert, Calif. David participated in Wickenburg’s community affairs for 30 years as Chairman of the Board of the Wickenburg Community Hospital, President of Country Club Acres HOA, Vice Chairman of the Wickenburg City Planning/Zoning Commission, Vice President of Los Caballeros Golf Club (where he ended his 66 years of playing golf), and Vice President of Wickenburg Country Club Acres Water Company. David’s survivors include his wife of 60 years, Betty McIntyre, now living in San Rafael, and his three children and their families: son and daughter-in-law Scott and Louise McIntyre in Gaviota, Calif., and their son Dakota Eugene McIntyre; daughter and son-in-law Tree and Kenny McIntyre-Bader in San Rafael, Calif., and their children Kaila, Tasia, and Zephan David McIntyre-Bader; and son and daughter-in-law, Drew and Mikki McIntyre in Novato, Calif., and their daughters Camille and Celeste McIntyre. He will always be remembered as a pillar of strength by both his family and friends. He was a devoted husband, remarkable father, and always supportive and loving with his grandchildren. His family misses him everyday.