Rita Mcintyre

Rita Marie McIntyre, 99 and 1/2 + 1 day, of Ottawa, passed away Monday, December 3, 2018 at her home.

Memorial Mass will be at 11:00 Friday, December 14, 2018 at St. Columba Church with Rev. David Kipfer officiating. She will be buried at a later date at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip.

Rita was born June 2, 1919 in Hilger, Montana to a farmer/rancher, Isidore and a teacher, Maybell (Kerrigan) Gilskey. During The Great Depression and The Roaring 20's, Rita's family moved from Montana to Chicago in order to pursue a good Catholic education for their children. In Chicago, Maybell went back to teaching and Isidore started a retail dairy business which flourished for a few years. Rita enjoyed reading books, visiting the library, cooking, and baking as a child. When she graduated from 8th grade, she was awarded a scholarship to attend high school in Waukegan. Her parents felt that she would be able to "glean" in a smaller, private school for girls. It was there her inherited musical talent blossomed, but was short lived. During this time, she drove a cattle truck full of pigs to The Chicago Union Stock Yards at the age of fifteen in a dress and dress gloves from Libertyville. She would giggle her signature laugh every time she told this story, as all of the other drivers were in complete shock when she exited the truck. During the Depression, her father's dairy business went "sour." Her mother did the bookwork for the business and Rita would help by sorting checks. Her education continued in the local high school and she described it as, "most rewarding." She was in the college "prep" classification and had the choice of two scholarships when she graduated, she was unable to accept either as she was needed at home instead.

Being the oldest, she often was needed to fill the mothering role while her own mother worked to support their family but was eventually accepted into the Teacher's Program. Rita worked as a substitute teacher for different classrooms, including her little sister, MaryBelle's. Rita continued to sub until she obtained a permanent teaching assignment. She spent over 20 years teaching Music and English before taking a year sabbatical in order to return to school at DePaul University and Loyola University to learn the necessary medical, psychological, and brailling skills she would need in order to spend the last fifteen years of her career teaching visually impaired students. She took great pride in her teaching career and the ability to adapt and accommodate her lessons to the students labeled "unteachable" by her superiors.

Peter McIntyre would pass Rita everyday while driving the bus he drove for work. One day it was raining and Pete pulled the bus over to invite her aboard. The two hit it off and married in June of 1939. They welcomed their first son, Gerald, in 1940 and their second son, Brian in 1944. As a working mother, she never lost focus on the importance of raising her children well.

Rita enjoyed needlepoint and knitting. She created many beautiful pictures, chairs, and afghans over the years. She loved to entertain and host dinner parties where she could show off her incredible culinary skills and later play the piano and Pete would sing. She treasured the time spent with her several nieces and nephews and loved to tell stories about their time spent together. She was a traveler and thoroughly enjoyed her several "Thelma and Louise" trips with her sister, Loretta. She self-described her life as True Americana in that she was a farmer/rancher's daughter, she traveled roads, taught school, cared for the elderly, and played music. She never stopped learning and would keep her brain sharp by watching Jeopardy, searching the internet for recipes, looking up her symptoms on Google in order to give doctors her diagnosis, and playing Words With Friends on her tablet with EVERYONE! She was a member of St. Columba Church.

She is survived by two sons, Brian (Jerrine) McIntyre of Ottawa, IL, Gerald W. (Ann) McIntyre of Granville, IL; four grandchildren, Craig McIntyre of Hollywood, FL, Wm. Patrick McIntyre of Ottawa, Cavan (Tara) McIntyre of Edwardsville, IL, Kathleen McIntyre of Ottawa; one great-grandchild, Aubry McIntyre of Ottawa; two sisters, Loretta Malloy-Gartner of Lowell, IN and Lucille Hahn of Naperville, IL; many nieces and nephews; and several special caregivers: Denise Velez, and Nikki Johnston-Okel.

She is preceded in death by her parents; two siblings, Brother Leo Gilskey, F.S.C. and Marybelle O'Leary; and several pet birds including her favorite, Jack the Nipper.

Memorials may be directed to Ottawa Alano Club for the purchase of lift chair, 224 1/2 W. Main St., Ottawa, IL. 61350 or to Ottawa Township High School's Special Needs Transition Program, Attn: Ms. Kate McIntyre, 211 East Main Street, Ottawa, IL. 61350

The McIntyre family would like to thank everyone for their comforting words, prayers, hugs, calls, texts, visits, and food during this trying time. Thank you to Vitas Hospice for their amazing care for all of us as well, specifically: Dena, Alyssa, Josie, Trish and our angels on earth: David, Julie, and Sarah (Peggy)!