Carol Vivian McIntire

July 23, 1937 - February 22, 2018

Carol Vivian McIntire died on February 22, 2018, from complications from pneumonia and Alzheimer's. She ended her decade-long battle with dementia peacefully, surrounded by her family. She was 80 years old.

Carol was born on July 23, 1937, in Portland to Dorothy and Russell Peyton. She spent her early childhood in Longview, Washington, raised by her maternal grandmother. Carol started high school in Tacoma and then moved to Oregon, graduating from Lebanon High School in 1955.

After two years at the University of Oregon, she moved to Long Beach, California in order to have a closer relationship with her father, stepmother Ruth and siblings, Larry, Kristi and Kimberlie.

In 1963, Carol moved to Corvallis. A single mother, Carol took a job at Oregon State University, working in the Athletic Department and later in the Housing Department where she was the Inter-Fraternity Council secretary, a job she loved.

Carol met David McIntire at a celebration for his Ph.D degree in 1964. They were married on December 5, 1965. Their son was born the following year and the family set down roots in Corvallis as Dave pursued his career at Oregon State.

Carol was a "people person" and, as IFC secretary, enjoyed her interaction with "the boys" who fondly referred to her as "Mom."

She also enjoyed her position at the Corvallis Parks and Recreation Department, where she helped with the city softball program.

When Dave retired in 1994, the two settled into grandparenthood and began travelling around the western United States. Carol enjoyed their yearly trips as they visited the national parks in Utah, Yellowstone and Mount Rainier, among others.

Carol was also very artistic. She was a skilled decorative painter and then a prolific quilter. She travelled to Asilomar, California and often to Sisters for quilting classes and events. As a quilter, she helped start Quilts from Caring Hands, which provides quilts for children in need and is still in operation today.

In the mid-2000s, Carol began to show signs of dementia. Dave cared for her at home for many years and then she moved into Holistic Hands Adult Foster Care in 2013.

The family would like to acknowledge the incredibly generous help from the Grace Center and Judy Tadesse and her staff at Holistic Hands.

Carol is survived by her husband Dave; siblings, Larry, Kristi and Kimberlie Peyton; children, Teri Bird (Dave), Kathryn Louden (Andy), Mark McIntire and J.D. McIntire (Rochelle); grandchildren, Rachel and Haley Freedman, Robyn and Megan Louden, Reed and Erin McIntire, Shawn, Synthia, and Keesha Toney, and Devon and David McIntire.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a remembrance to the Grace Center in Corvallis.