See Ya Man

I am terrible with this blogging thing, I just know I would be. However I have to mark the way I am feeling, I am filled with a sense of deep loss, but in the same sense I am feeling grateful to have had one of the most amazing people I know in my life and as my grandfather. Glen B. McIntyre II was the most hard-working, kind man that you could ever imagine knowing. I am plagiarizing a bit here, with an excerpt written by my Aunt Trina in conjunction with her siblings (my aunts and uncles) and also including memories of my father, Gus. This can also be seen on his memorial blog page, glenmcintyresr.blogspot.com:

"Our father blessed his family and friends with many warm-hearted memories. The last two weeks we spent with each other reminiscing about the past. Through our conversations it was evident that we remembered many of the same special times dear to us all. We would like to share a few of these with everyone.One of the fondest times in our lives Dad took a job in Montana. He could make extra money for the family if he built a school in Trego. Mom and Dad decided to make it a vacation for the family. We piled into the old brown Chevy, a car we started with a screwdriver because the key no longer cranked the engine. We did amazing things together: we swam and jumped off bridges, fished, built forts and ran from the bears and bulls in the area, caught mice and went to the dump at the end of dad’s long work week and watched the black bears hunt for treasures among the trash. Through dialogue in the past weeks I found out that Kirk and Gus both remembered catching the biggest trout of their lives in Frank Lake, one of several places dad took us to fish while we were there.Two summers ago we were lucky enough to relive that time in Montana. One of the things I never knew about my dad was that he slept in the rafters of the school so that he could send the money he received for a hotel to our mother. He mentioned while we were there that one morning after working many hours through the night he was awakened by the school bell and several young children laughing. He was very embarrassed. This is a single example of my dad sacrificing and creating fun times for all of usDad loved the outdoors and shared this pleasure with us through many horse-packing trips to the Uintahs. Kirk reminded us that this was Mom’s time away from the kids. We rode or hiked taking turns on the horses. We could choose to walk or ride over Dead Horse Pass, but if we chose to ride he would tell us to lean toward the mountain. He also told us if we ever rode off and got lost that we were to drop the reins and the horses would know their way back. He was a smart man it worked. While in the Uintahs we slept in sleeping bags under the stars. Shelly remembers this as a very magical sight watching the hobbled horses grazing in the early morning mist. I remember the smell of bacon and trout frying in a pan over the smoky campfire. Gus recalls the yummy eggs cooked in the bacon grease and vows that everything tasted good up there. He didn’t cook very often, but he loved to cook in the outdoors. While we were there Kirk reminded us that we practiced our sailing skills on the rafts that we built. Huckleberry Finn couldn’t have had as much fun as we did.Andy shared that Dad taught us all how to fish and to truly enjoy lakes and rivers. He could catch a fish in almost any stream, and in places you would never think to go. He had us all believing that he could catch a fish in the bathtub. We all thought he walked on water so catching a fish in the tub was no big deal.Christmas was full of fun with father. He loved to tease and this seemed to be a time that he could get all of us at once. With a twinkle in his eye and an extra step in his walk he would start out with telling us that Santa was sighted and that we surely should get to bed soon. Throughout the night we would bounce on our beds discussing the wonders we would behold in the morning. Every hour on the hour we would rotate shifts to mom and dad’s bedroom only to be told to, “Get back to bed,” he hasn’t come yet. When they finally relented dad would gather all of us at the end of the hall. He would then choose the lucky one, and he would scoop them up in his arms and sprint down the hall past the living room. The lucky one would get a small glimpse of the tree and the gifts scattered about the room. He would then pass the room full of presents and inform us that we needed to check and see if Santa had eaten his cookies and drank his milk. Slowly he would saunter back down the hall and give the approval to his brood to open their gifts. At that point dad had to dive out of our way.We all remember dad’s love to tease, he taught us all how to take a joke. One of his favorites was “Flipper”. He would look at you very seriously while holding his hand at point blank range and ask you sweetly if you would like to see Flipper. Before you could respond he would flip you in the nose. I am sure he teased everyone to tears at least once, but he always had us laughing or crying in his big, strong arms before moving on.On the kinder, gentler side of Glen were lifesavers. They were his calling card. In addition to Lifesavers dad added Wurthers hard candy and gum in a green foil wrapper. Whenever Glen would go to any of the business offices of the contractors he worked with, he would always offer the office workers a Lifesaver. The kids remember getting Lifesavers from Grandpa: as a greeting, in a quiet moment with him and you could definitely count on one when he thought you might be upset. A lifesaver from Gramps was certain to make your day better.Working hard, being honest and kind were only some of Dad’s greatest qualities. As long as Dad was in business, he conducted the business with the belief that his handshake was his word. He honored that to the letter and is remembered for his integrity and sincere personality. Our father was still able to seal a deal on a handshake because he was known to keep his word. Dad’s large hands represented many things, they were big, but it was what he did with them that mattered the most. He used to hold them up in front of mom when she was worried and he would say,” Sherry dear as long as I have these we will be okay.”There is a little piece of dad everywhere we go. Honestly, you probably couldn’t drive one mile without passing some of his work. He put his blood, sweat and possibly a tear or two into it. He poured concrete, all day, and lots of it and if you ever worked with him you knew you were going to work your butt off. One of his partners instead of calling him McIntyre called him “Make Me Tired”. Mom used to go hold the flashlight for him at night so he could finish the concrete that he had poured that day. She used to say, “That was our time together, sort of like a date.”Dad taught us many things: how to work hard, and to be kind, but above all he taught us to respect and love our Mother by the way he treated her. He was always hugging and kissing his “Sherry Dear”. He loved buying her flowers or picking her a daily rose from out in the garden. He truly loved our mom and he was not afraid to show all of us his love for her. Someone told me once that the greatest gift a man could give his family was to love their mother and he did that every day without exception for more than 52 years." (as written by Trina Brandscomb)