Book of Memories for Joseph J. McIntyre

Story shared: Miss You!

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:32:32 EST

Hi Joe, A month has gone by and I miss you very much. I'm really missing the sound of your voice but you are so in my heart. Love you! Karen

Story shared: Thank you

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:47:17 EST

Daniel, Julia and I would like to express our profound gratitude for the love and support we have received in the past weeks. We were a circle of four, dealing with illness and loss over the past many months. And now we are a circle of three, with Joe by our side, surrounded by circles of love. Family and friends, close and distant, loving, encouraging, nourishing, leaving us be at times in our grief. Joriki, Joe’s Buddhist priest, told us that the funeral celebration was meant to have a certain energy – to move from mourning and sadness to end in one of joy. And I felt that, and felt my children’s spirits lift as the service concluded with “Morning Has Broken.” We tried over the past months to fulfill Joe’s bucket list; went to Maine on vacation, went to a Phillies game in D.C. with our dear friend, went to Long Beach Island in October and went fishing in the bay, drove to Canal Park and watched the river. He wanted to be ordained a monk, and he was on November 4th. He wanted to die surrounded by witty and charming people, and he did, on November 4th, 2011. And he wanted his family and friends to celebrate his life and lift up his family in their grief, and you have done that. We thank you all, those near and far, for your prayers and kindness.

Condolence From Libby and Bob House

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:56:50 EST

Our deepest sympathies for your loss. We wish you comfort and peace now and in the coming days.

Condolence From Bill McLaughlin

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:49:15 EST

Lori, I am so sorry to learn of the passing of your husband. Please know that I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Condolence From Kendall and Robert Sharpe

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:09:59 EST

Lori, Dan and Julia, please accept our sincere condolences.

Condolence From Talmadge (Tom) Belo

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:26:22 EST

My deepest condolences to the family of Joe McIntyre. The few years I worked with Joe are memorable I will never forget his humor. God Bless and keep you in this time of sorrow.

Condolence From Marva West

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:52:12 EST

I worked with Joe when he was a Union Organizer for PSSU, so I am saddened by his death. I knew Joe to have a great sense of humor and to be a very down to earth individual. I pray for the strength of his wife and children. Let his spirit forever dwell in your hearts and he will always be with you.

Condolence From Carolyn Giddings

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:31:10 EST

I met and worked with Joe whle he was an organizer for PSSU in Philadelphia. I remember the smile on his face when he was happy and the scowl when he wasn't so happy. He could make me laugh with his silly jokes and he listened to me when I was unsure. Even though he is gone the memory of him lingers on. I lost touch with Joe so it was a shock to here of his passing. Thank you for the pictures and the memories. God bless all his family and keep them safe.

Condolence From Jim Young

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:35:26 EST

My deepest-felt condolences to Joe's family, even as we celebrate his life. In the years that we worked together at the PA Social Services Union, I found Joe to be a sincere and standup guy, both sensitive and humorous in nature. I have fond memories -- some funny, some poignant -- of Joe from those years and will remember them down all my days. Peace.

Condolence From The Silva Family

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:17:46 EST

Karen, Robert, Bobby, and Matt, We're so sad for you. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Please let us know if we can do anything to help.

Condolence From kathleen young

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:22:00 EST

dear lori so sorry aboiut your loss. i know joe will be missed kathy young

Story shared: Memories

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:21:17 EST

Joe McIntyre was my brother-in-law and part of my family for 25 years, so I have lots of stories. The trick is to pick which one to share! Should I talk about the many Thanksgivings we spent together? If the McIntyre Molloys were coming to my house I knew to leave the potatoes for Joe to peel as I would get scolded if I didn't leave them for him to do. I also knew to leave the TV downstairs turned to a football game so Joe could sneak down and watch a bit. I knew there would be an epic football game in the afternoon, and that Joe would be a team captain. He was fiercely competitive! Joe was the perfect dinner guest, because he really appreciated and praised the food. After dinner there would always be a game. Joe was the best of us at Encore (a game where you had to sing songs with certain words). He had a store of songs he knew well from rock to Irish protect songs. But whatever game we chose he was one of the first to show up ready to play. Joe was devoted to his wife and kids and was so proud of them all. He was also involved in the lives of all his nieces and nephews and gave them all lots of love, attention and great advice. Whenever our families got together it was a party! We'll miss you so much, Joe - it won't be the same without you. With all my love, Maureen

Photo shared: Family 2005

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:16:39 EST

Condolence From J. Courtney Johnston

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:41:05 EST

Dear Karen, We are very sorry to learn of the passing of your brother, Joe. I'm sure he was a fine man and a loving brother. You have told me how close he was with Bobby and Matt. We share your grief. You still have one brother, me. Let me know if I can help you through your time of grief. With Love, Courtney, Corinne, Catie & Carl Johnston

Photo shared: Lori and Joe

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:13:19 EST

Photo shared: Brothers-in-law

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:11:55 EST

Joe with his brothers-in-law Jim Wynkoop and Grant Gambell, 1996

Photo shared: Playing Dress up

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:10:12 EST

Joe with Daniel, niece Beth and nephew David

Photo shared: Joe, Lori, Karen and baby Daniel

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:08:24 EST

Christmas 1992

Photo shared: Dropping Dan off at college

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:08:53 EST

Condolence From Bud Daneker

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:44:38 EST

Dear Lori, Donna & I were really saddened to hear about Joe. We have such good memories of Joe coaching the boys during those UT baseball years. Turns out that sports were never a passion for Scott, but Joe made it fun for Scott & his friends and we really appreciated that about him. Your family will be in our thoughts & prayers.

Story shared: Our story

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:37:51 EST

Our Story- I know we put an obituary notice in the paper and it tells you some dates and some information for services. I wanted to share some of my story with you all now. Joe made it clear to me that he wanted a celebration after he passed, and that is what we will do on Friday. He didn’t want us sad and crying, so that is why we are giving ourselves this week. Joe McIntyre and I met in 1985. Actually, I interviewed him for a job at the Pennsylvania Public Interest Coalition/Citizen Action canvass in Allentown for a job as canvasser. Luckily, rules about bosses and staff dating were not so well defined and we started dating about a month later. He moved from Kutztown and we got married at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on 4th Street in Allentown. Those in attendance will tell you it was one of the more memorable weddings, fit for an episode of Oprah entitled “what else could go wrong. “ What with the torrential rain, flooded roads, blackout at the Lehigh Valley Country club, cake that couldn’t stay together, heat, food cooked by sterno. God bless my parents, they hung on through it all. But, everybody danced and laughed and told us that rain would bring good luck. We moved to Philadelphia for eight years, Joe got a job as a union organizer, I went to law school and we got a cat and a dog. In 1992, Daniel was born, the cutest baby ever, and then came Julia in 1994, again, surprisingly, the cutest baby ever. We decided to buy a house and started looking in Philadelphia, but our heart and longing for a smaller city and a simple row house brought us back to Allentown. We have been in the same place for seventeen years, and Joe has had many interests during that time. Joe loved to follow politics, read or listened to five books a week (spy novels, gang novels, political books, tai chi books, chess manuals, woodworking books. Zen books and books on tape). He loaded up our computer with Dharma podcasts and saved every one. He didn’t trust any devise to save them but the hard-drive. He signed up for facebook and made some friends, but he never remembered how to get to the link, even before he had his recent setbacks. In his younger days, Joe studied Aikido with a beloved Sensei, Shuji Maruyama, at a Dojo in Philadelphia. When he came to Allentown, he took up Tai Chi at Little Tiger and loved it. This led him to seek a spiritual path that he was interested in since his teen years. He found Blue Mountain Zendo eight years ago and was given the name Kozan “Ancient Mountain.” We were planning an ordination to be a monk for December 11, 2011. To keep the promise his priest Joriki Dat Baker and we made to him, on his final day, he was ordained as a monk and given the name Taipo, which means “Great Peak.” He was surrounded by his wife, children, sister and brother and friends. But most of all, he loved his family. He adored his children. Most recently, he pronounced his son’s CD an amazing, impressive feat. He loved to play chess with Dan, talk with him, and listen to him. He helped with Little League, even though he knew he wasn’t meant to be a coach and had to study hard. He loved to talk politics, share the Nation, and watch Japanese movies and the West Wing on DVD. He loved to go the park with his family, go to the Delaware or Jersey Shore for vacation, go to Maine and eat lobster. At the start of every trip, he would sing “vacation all I ever wanted” by the Go Gos until the kids plugged in their headphones and I finished up the song with him. Someone else can tell the story of a touch football game that showed Joe’s commitment to get to the end zone, even after they changed the rule and he only needed to cross the plane of the end zone with the ball, not his body. Oh, Joe McIntyre, you were unstoppable that day. He was thrilled when his daughter was named homecoming queen. He was even more impressed by her athletics – he loved to go to meets and watch the videos we took of Julia tumbling, diving, swimming, pole vaulting. When she recently received a recruiting letter from Notre Dame (of Ohio), he was sure the Gipper himself had come calling. He worried about her as she was so ill recently, even as his own health was failing. When she was little, she was running across the pool deck at Neff’s, and she banged her head hard into a table. To everyone’s surprise, she got up and started up the chase again. He loved to tell her how tough and strong and beautiful she was and is, and how we had to watch her more closely because of her high pain threshold. In many of the pictures we are finding, Joe is smiling, making a face, laughing with his friends, his family, me. We loved each other for the past twenty six years. Oh, we had our disagreements. Recently, we disagreed about whether Jon Stewart was funnier than Stephen Colbert. They loved when I came to the office after my birthday to tell them what this year’s effort by Joe McIntyre had been. The favorite was the year he went to the mall and got me some clothes … from Lane Bryant. I told him the clothes were a little big and he defended himself because I told him I was a large. Large yes, but not yet plus size Lane Bryant large. We watched every Phillies game on TV for the past five years and went to one home game every year to get the feel of the park and the beauty of the game. He loved that his son worked the stands for the Iron Pigs in the summers, but he agreed with Dan that it was much better to play the game than watch it. But, watching was good for him now. I am not blaming the Phillies, but he did refuse to watch any post season baseball in October when the Phillies lost to the Cardinals in the playoffs. He did have some ideas for Charlie Manuel for next year. When we were at the doctor’s office two weeks ago, he and his doctor and I were talking about medicine and adjustments to his medications and home health care and hospice care. He said he loved when we talked about him like that because he knew we doing our best to take care of him and it made him feel safe. The last thing we did together before he went into the hospital on Monday was watch Sunday night football. I can assure you that he was a happy man when the Eagles took a commanding lead over Dallas before the end of the first half. We were hoping for more days to enjoy our passions and see our kids safely on their life’s journey. We are lucky that we have had the time we have had and the memories and the family and friends that have been so supportive.

Condolence From Chuck Milositz

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:49:44 EST

Lori and Family, Are hearts and prayers are with you and the children during this difficult time.

Condolence From Henry and Lisa Schea

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:46:21 EST

We are very sorry for your loss and will be keeping all of the family in our prayers. Love, Lisa

Photo shared: Lori and Joe

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:26:15 EST

Photo shared: The McIntyres and Johnstons

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:25:32 EST

Photo shared: Joe helps with the feast

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:24:40 EST

Photo shared: at the Zendo

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:24:06 EST

2010

Photo shared: Lori and Joe

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:21:58 EST

Phillies game in DC 2011

Photo shared: Joe and Stephanie

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:20:47 EST

last Christmas

Photo shared: Joe and Dan

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:20:06 EST

Photo shared: Phillie Phanatic and the Homecoming Girl 2010

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:19:31 EST

Getting ready for Kellie and Michelle's party, and the homecoming Dance.

Photo shared: Daniel pushes Joe

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:18:04 EST

A playground in New Jersey

Photo shared: Joe's too cool

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:16:10 EST

In the hood

Photo shared: Joe and Julia

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:15:38 EST

Chirstmas 2010

Photo shared: Daniel's going to college Party

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:09:37 EST

Karen, Bobby, Mike, Joe, Rob, Dan, Matt, Maureen Jim, Lori and Julia. We and the teenagers had a great game of kickball, Joe and Lori cooked ribs and hot dogs. the Rose Garden

Photo shared: Maine 2011

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:04:36 EST

Carrick Dan, Grant and Joe Eileen Julia Anna and Lori A vacation after Joe's first hosptalization, and before his second. Would you have thought Julia had a ruptured appendix?

Photo shared: Playing Charades

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:01:54 EST

a particularly fun time in 2001

Photo shared: Julia's first communion

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:01:05 EST

Joe, Lori, Dan and Julia in West Park at Julia's first communion

Photo shared: With Grandma and Family at her 101st birthday lunch

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:52:09 EST

Photo shared: Twirling with Julia

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:50:33 EST

She loved to spin, he loved to make her dizzy

Photo shared: Joe and Julia got rhythm

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:49:36 EST

Dancing with the Wii

Photo shared: Trexler Park with the kids

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:45:38 EST

Elizabeth and Zach Hutnick, Dan and Julia

Photo shared: Karen, Mike and Joe

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:42:14 EST

Oh, those McIntyres!

Photo shared: Christmas morning

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:38:24 EST

This is from the year that Julia broke her arm in gymnastics, Dan was to follow a few weeks later. Joe always stayed up most of the night, individually wrapping all the "extra" presents. The kids always got up real early.

Photo shared: go Phillies

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:35:38 EST

2010 at the Wall of Fame

Photo shared: Peace in Maine 2009

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:33:38 EST

vacation in Maine, 2009

Photo shared: Sunrise on Fenwick Island 2009

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:27:02 EST

Lori and Joe get up for sunrise and the kids sleep in. Lori does yoga, Joe does tai chi and then it's time for coffee

Photo shared: Muscleman Joe and Dan 2009

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:21:04 EST

at the beach, pale but strong

Photo shared: Joe, Dan and Julia at the beach 2010

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:17:14 EST

Our annual trip to the Delaware shore

Photo shared: Joe and Daniel at Long Beach Island

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:13:33 EST

Joe really wanted to go to the beach, and every trip for the past two months was derailed by one hospital stay or another. We got to go on October 8th, thanks to Joyce Conner and her mother. We thank you

Condolence From Rick Cabrey

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:40:29 EST

Donna and I are very sorry for your loss. I am sure Joseph will always be with you! Donna and Rick

Photo shared: scan0006.jpg

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:57:53 EST