Frederick Hadley MacIntyre

We want to share some of his life with you. Some of this will be historical fact, some will be story telling, and some is just tall tales that the big man has shared over the years. We don't quite know what's what so we present it just like the disciples did with the bible and it will be up to you to have faith.

The Early Formative Years:

Fred and his younger brother Paul were born in Massachusetts to Grampa Joseph or "Red" as he was known and Grandma Mildred. They grew up good Catholics in the small town of Boxborough. Great Granddad lost the family fortune when the bottom fell out of his duck farm. So the family was quite poor.

The family was so poor growing up that Grandma Mildred used to send the boys to the movies with a dime for a day long admission and the left over donut holes from the morning donuts as snacks. (She was ahead of her time. Most folks threw them out.)

Besides the movies, Dad had great fun from the start playing baseball in the streets with his brother and buddies - this started his lifetime love and enthusiasm for the sport.

When Red took off to Florida to make a new family fortune, Mildred worked the night shift and tried to care for the boys. She found help from a lovely couple who lived across the street, Bob and Berta Treese. True Yankees, both played an important role in Fred's development and later became godparents to little Freddy.

College Years:

As a young man, Dad hitched-hiked to Mexico on some sort of work-study program that none of us are really clear about. (Funds were low and he talked a sherrif in a small town to spend the night in the jail. So he says that he spent the night in jail without being arrested.) Who can say what happened, but this shows some of the initial signs of interest in political science and missionary work that would come back later in life.

He followed that by attending Wilmington College in Ohio where he eventually achieved a degree in Polly Sci. He also met our mother there, and we became the glimmer in their eyes. But before that Mom and Dad got married in the Episcopal Church, an important distinction in his future career path.

After Wilmington College, Dad and Mom moved back to Mom's hometown where Dad attended the University of Chicago and achieved his masters degree. To this day Dad is amazed that he made it through this intellectually rigorous school given he couldn't really even spell the word rigorous. Turns out, smarts and spelling aren't connected.

Post graduation, Dad and Mom moved to Mt. Clements, MI, where Dad got work as a personnel administrator at Selfridge Air Force Base. It is there that Tina and Cindy were born.

Moving from Mt. Clements to the Washington Area, Dad got a gig in the Office of Personnel Management, Administering Civil Service Exams and playing baseball for the department's team - The Pacific Hang Bellies. They were such a mess with mismatched uniforms and toting six packs that many of the more serious teams refused to play them.

Little Freddy aka Mickey enters the picture at this time born in Arlington VA.

The Rambler Years:

This period know for the car Dad had. His beloved Rambler that had 6 cylinders but powered by hair tonic it ran mostly on four cylinders much of the time.

After divorcing Mom, Dad married his second wife Annie and became a part of her family including her four kids, Bobby, Paul, Maggie, Chuck.

During the rambler period, Dad got out of government service and worked at a variety of jobs starting with a friend, Mark Schriver at personnel agency, Snelling & Snelling. He sold men's clothes at a store in Wheaton Plaza, worked weekends at the YMCA, sold mobile homes until the market crashed and he got paychecks for $1. Giving up on sales he went back to his expertise in personnel at Woodworth & Lothrop Department Store.

He did this until one day he saw how much the guys at Woodies made selling suits and he immediately switched back to sales. There he stayed until Woodies let him go just before his tenth anniversary.

Dad then became a religion and math teacher at St. Phillips where he was all over the religion curriculum but was literally only one day ahead of the kids in math class.

At the same time, Dad and Annie, who were raised catholic went through their hippie years searching for spirituality and religion. They took up massage and reflexology, attended and taught at new age retreats and tried a couple of other routes to oneness with nature, their god, and of course each other.

The Catholic Church at St, Columba in Friendly MD was recruiting and trying to reach "the people" with Folk Masses that featured, guitars, tambourines, and burlap banners with cool felt lettering and pictures. Dad and Annie thought "now this is for us!" and made a home in that community.

Dad and Annie became very active in the church and volunteering at House of Ruth in DC. Dad also became engaged in the Democratic Party and was a leader in the Lyons Club - all those old eyeglasses in the car, the house, everywhere. But, mostly Dad loved Annie and the Church and became a Deacon, the highest lay leadership role he could achieve while married.

So, he is living a great life, teaching at St Phillips, deacon in the church, volunteering, watching his beloved Baltimore Orioles ... love for Annie and family abounded.

The Second Life:

Years after Annie's breast cancer, Annie was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. After many treatments to prolong life, Annie decides that she would rather forego more attempts and instead live her life as fully as possible until its end.

During the three-year period from her diagnosis to her death, Annie and Dad had many talks. Of those, they discussed what Dad would do when she was no longer with him on earth. She repeated suggested that he become a priest.

Dad started to check it out and found a seminary in Montgomery County and applied, but that Cardinal Hickey had other plans. He sent the promising candidate to Pope John Paul the 23rd seminary in Dad's home state of Massachusetts.

Dad got through the two-year program and got ordained in a year and half, even before he had taken his final exams. Always being the one to challenge things and make waves, it took Cindy's stern warning to just sit down and do the test, answer the questions and don't question the questions. "All you have to do is pass the test, you don't have to be a smart ass about it.", Cindy said.

After a stay at St. Michaels, Silver Spring, Dad was moved of St Mary's, Newport Maryland where he became the Rector at St. Mary's. Living in the country took some getting used to. He would say most people come to the country to relax on vacation. I go to New York City to see the people on vacation.

After many years of successful service to St. Mary's, Father Fred, moved to Scared Heart, in La Plata, so he could slow down from the rat race of Newport.

Dad then moved downtown to St. Patrick's doing mass and walking around the neighborhood he shares with son Freddy/Mickey. (We're going to the theatre or dinner, and he randomly throws his hands up in the air as we walk down the street and shouts, I love this place, I love the people, I love the energy!) If he wasn't downtown, he is at Cindy and Richards in his room watching the National's or surrounded by grandkids.

Yes, his love of baseball continues as an enthusiastic (or annoying fan) of the National's depending on how you feel sitting next to him at the field. (He was such a fan that he would/could sit through a double header without one complaint.)

His mind and soul are fed by his avid appreciation of music, theatre, and art. With an extensive art collection (I have run out of walls! he often says) and attendance at many concerts and shows with friends and family. Often coupled with the long deliberate meal that includes plenty of scotch, wine and thoughtful conversation ... meals that he loves so much. (He would always clean his plate, whether he likes it or not. If he did not like it, his only comment would be "Let's not have that again".)

Dad also continued his love of travel, and often sponsors family vacations and cruising. He's traveled to Hawaii, many places in Europe, the holy lands and of course the homeland of Scotland. He was last there with for the International Clan Gathering. Along with us were his son Mickey, grandson Chris - making it three generations of MacIntyre men, in the highlands, drinking scotch and watching guys throw telephone polls.

Father Fred, may he rest in peace as a priest, father, grandfather, baseball lover (I think it is because of wearing a baseball cap), watching old western or action-packed movies, listening to all types of music especially big band, and being very social and loving to eat great food or really just loving to eat. We will miss you and love you very much.