Eleanor M. McIntyre

1922 - 2015

ELEANOR M. MCINTYRE December 7, 1922 August 10, 2015 Eleanor May McIntyre, 92, passed away at her home August 10, 2015, in Hemet, CA. Eleanor was born in Fresno, CA December 7, 1922 to Sylvia Ferguson Scheidt and George John Scheidt. She lived in California all her life and graduated from Fresno High School in June 1940. She married Merlyn L. (Mack) McIntyre on December 28, 1940 in Reno, Nevada. Eleanor's brother George joined the Marines following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was killed at the Battle of Tarawa in the Pacific in November 1943. Mack had gone to work at Mare Island Naval Shipyard to support the war. He was a machinist and helped build the Destroyer USS Ward in a record of 17 ½ days. After George's death Mack enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was trained as a pilot and got stationed in Midland Texas and trained bombardiers. Eleanor and her young daughter Maureen followed him to Texas. Housing was scarce and they were forced to live in a former chicken coop until a house became available. Following the war they moved back to Fresno where their two sons, Michael and Marshall were born in 1945 and 1947. Mack got a job driving Shell Oil Company gasoline tankers all over the San Joaquin Valley while Eleanor was home in Fresno raising the three children on a 40 acre ranch. Later they moved to Bakersfield to live near Mack's sister Josephine and her husband Earnest. In 1950 Mack's mother Jennie inherited from her cousins the Lane's two farm properties. They began the farming venture in Hemet and Firebaugh (Fresno County) and formed a company named Sierra Dawn Farms. The farm's headquarters were located on Stetson Avenue. The family lived at Ryan Field in one of the old World War II "Cadet" houses for a year while building their permanent home on the corner of Stetson & Palm. In 1962, the family started a mobile home development named Sierra Dawn Estates. Following that project the family formed McIntyre Enterprises to develop commercial properties including Sir Georges Smorgasbord (Sizzler), offices for the Auto Club of So. California (DaVita Dialysis) Acacia Properties Shops and Mountain Valley RV Park. They also built several service stations in the area. Eleanor's three children were all active in scouting, 4-H, sports and many other activities which kept her busy. Maureen married Jerry McCue and they had three children, Craig McCue (DeAnn), James McCue and Cynthia McCue McCain. Michael married Nancy Bruner and they had three children, Lane McIntyre (Melissa), Clayton McIntyre and Shaun McIntyre (Carolina). Marshall (Linda) who have 4 children, Jennifer McIntyre, Dan McIntyre, Bridget Greeley (Keith) and Pat McIntyre. They have provided Eleanor with 18 great grandchildren. Eleanor was active in many community affairs. She served in scouting, the Methodist Church, and Parent Teachers Association, where she was awarded an Honorary Life Membership. She also participated in the Hemet Hospital Auxiliary and served as a director for a number of years. Eleanor and Mack traveled extensively around the U.S. and Canada in several motor homes they had owned. After Mack passed away in 2006 Eleanor's passion was being a grandmother and great-grandmother. Anyone who had ever met Eleanor could say that she brought joy to them with a kind word, her smile and laughter. She was a wonderful cook and no one ever left her house hungry. Her funeral service will be held August 22, at 11:00 AM at Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet. Visitation/Viewing will precede the service at 9:00 AM. A reception will follow at the home of Michael & Nancy McIntyre. Memorial to either the Ramona Pageant or the San Jacinto Cemetery.