Natalie McIntyre dies in Michigan on Mother’s Day

Here’s one we missed. Natalie McIntyre, wife of former BJ staffer Bruce McIntyre, died on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008. Here is the full news obituary

By JERRY WOLFFE
Of The Oakland Press
Natalie Ann McIntyre, the wife of Bruce McIntyre, a former publisher of The Oakland Press, died on Mother's Day [May 11, 2008] surrounded by her loving family.

She was 80.

Mrs. McIntyre was diagnosed with leukemia in January at the Cleveland Clinic.

"Doctors took a blood test and put her in the hospital that first night," her husband, Bruce, said. "The hematologist told her the diagnosis the next morning."

She questioned the proposed treatment. "Do people really go through that?" she asked the doctor, referring to traditional treatment, McIntyre said.

"So instead of getting upset, she said, 'Let's celebrate.' We ordered a first-class dinner and champagne.

"She accepted it and decided to enjoy every day," he said.

Natalie Ann McIntyre was the daughter of Emil and Lillie (Alstadt) Wolff, born June 2, 1927, in Erie, Pa.

She met and married Bruce when he was a reporter at the Erie Times in 1953. They lived in Akron, Ohio; Battle Creek; and in Oakland County. Bruce worked at The Oakland Press from 1971 to 1995.

Mrs McIntyre had been a member of the Orchard Lake Nature Sanctuary Advisory Board, the Creative Arts Center Board, the Vestry and Altar Guild of All Saints Episcopal Church, the Akron Library Board and was a founding member of the Women's Survival Center.

Jane Alstadt McIntyre, one of her four daughters, said: "She was truly remarkable in the way she touched people's lives, whether she knew them for a short time or a longer time.

"She had a remarkable ability to make a difference in people's lives no matter how long she knew them," she added.

Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Wolff McIntyre, said: "As a mother, she was unconditional in her love and acceptance of all of us. That was how she was as a woman ... unconditionally loving and accepting to everyone she met."

Wolff McIntyre said her mother loved to read, especially books on psychology and theology.

Alstadt McIntyre said: "She did a great deal of charity for a variety of nonprofits.

"She loved gardening. She also had a flare for interior design. Visitors often said her home was one of the most beautiful houses they were ever in.

"She also had a great appreciation for beauty and that manifested in her garden and home."

Her daughters also said their mother loved fine food and was "quite a gourmet. Her passion was for the arts, the opera and was a season ticketholder to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra."

McIntyre said his wife "held on and died a few minutes after midnight on Mother's Day."

"I actually think it was kind of cool that she died on Mother's Day," said her daughter, Jane. "Her life's work was being a mother. We thought it was incredibly significant that she died on Mother's Day."

Besides her husband, Natalie is survived by her son, Douglas Alexander McIntyre (Dr. Patricia Allen) of New York City; daughters Elizabeth Wolff McIntyre (Daniel Brzozowski), Emily Olmsted McIntyre (Paul Hancock) of Clarkston, Catherine Natalie McIntyre (Dwight Hoffman) of Sylvan Lake and Jane Alstadt McIntyre of Novi; grandsons Garrett Wolff McIntyre, Hunter Garrahan McIntyre and Nicholas Andrei Hoffman and sister Phyllis Budell.

Following cremation, there will be a memorial service at All Saints Episcopal Church, 171 W. Pike at Williams St., Pontiac -- her church for 37 years -- at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The memorial service is open to the public.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the church in her name.

[Source: News obituary published in full from Oakland Press, Pontiac, MI, May 13, 2008]