Helen McIntyre 1933 - 2022

Helen's children said she had the voice of an angel and, most of the time, a "saintly temperament." With a beautiful dulcet soprano, her daughter Patty remembers her mom directing the choir at her local Lutheran church for many years and then directing the community choir for the Sheridan Christmas and Easter Cantatas.

Helen stayed busy with her crocheting, crafting dish towels, potholders and other homemade items that she loved gifting to her family and friends. "It was one way she kept her hands and heart full," said her daughter Donna.

She was born April 6, 1933, in Kalispell, Montana, but raised mostly in Seattle. It was there she met the love of her life, Gerald Eugene McIntyre, when they were both in Luther League and confirmed at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle. Gerald went on to serve a 21-year career in the United States Air Force. They married in 1952, and spent more than 50 years together, raising six children, enjoying 14 grandchildren, and eventually ending up with 26 great-grandchildren, plus several step-great-grandchildren. They moved to Sheridan, Oregon, in 1976. Gerald passed away in 2005.

After many years as a full-time homemaker, Helen went to work as an insurance biller for Valley Medical Center in Santa Clara, California. Later, she became part owner in an antique shop in downtown McMinnville and held estate sales for people.

While she was still able to drive, she loved playing Bridge with her friends in McMinnville and was a member of the local Bridge Club for years. She was also an avid shopper and always ready for that errand!

Helen enjoyed her first cruise in March with some of the family and said it was one of the best times of her life.

Her daughter, Kathy, describes her mom as funny and said she was "always doing a new craft and made homemade bread every day."

Her son, Mike, remembered a time while the family still lived in San Jose, California, where she fashioned her own version of chaps while wearing shorts to protect her legs from the sun while gardening. Mike said he was quick to capture that image and other candid moments within the family, on his "trusty Kodak camera."

"I was grateful that I got to spend a lot of quality time with her the last several years," said her son, Don, "and that she had the chance to stay with me for a few weeks about a month before she passed so that my grandchildren could get to know her."

In addition to her husband, Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Sigvard and Bessie Dahl; brothers, Duane and Sigvard Dahl Jr.; sisters, Yvonne Garcia and Gwen Olmstead; a son, Brian McIntyre; and a grandson, Jeffrey Peterson.

Her five remaining children are Donna Follett, Patrick “Mike” McIntyre, Patricia McIntyre, Kathleen Ranel and Donald McIntyre.
Helen passed on August 5, 2022, surrounded by family. She was 89 years old.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. October 8, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 315 W. Main St. Willamina, OR 97396