In Memory of

Dalt

J.

McIntyre

Obituary for Dalt J. McIntyre

On Friday, one month shy of his 99th birthday; Dalt a proud WWII veteran, entered into eternal peace at the home of his caring daughter Lianne, joined by son Ross and both their families. Dalt has joined his beloved wife and best friend, Edith, whom he longed to be with since her passing in 2016. They are dancing together once again. Dalt was the loving and caring father (grandfather) of Grant and fiancé Patricia (Andrew and Jamie), Brian and his wife Gail (Kyle, Corey and Kurtis), Mark (Michelle and husband Adrian, Cody and Shannon), Lianne and husband Patrick Smyth (Adaina, Caitlin, Meghan and Liam), and Ross and wife Marian (Ariel, Olivia and Matthew). Dalt, the oldest of eight boys, is survived by brothers, Lorne, Ken and wife Marie Agnes, Bob and wife Ines, David and Bill, and deceased brothers Greg and Edward survived by their wives Marian and Janet, and his 67 nieces and nephews.

Due to the current Covid pandemic, the wake will be restricted to immediate family, however there will be a virtual service at the funeral home, Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, on Friday, June 19 at 2:00PM. Those wishing to receive a virtual service invite, please contact Mark McIntyre at mjmmac@zoominternet.net. A funeral mass will be held at a later date once travel restrictions are lifted.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to a pro-life charity of your choice would be appreciated by Dalt.

Dalton Joseph McIntyre was born in Ottawa on July 12th, 1921, one of eight sons of the late Bernard and Irene (Cody) McIntyre. As he was the oldest, and often the example for his seven siblings – Greg, Lorne, Ken, Robert, David, William and Edward. He attended St. George’s elementary and St. Patrick’s high school, plus two years at St. Patrick's College in Ottawa before going to Queen's University where he took mechanical engineering. While there, he along with other like-minded friends, started the Science 44 Co-op which survived as a haven for students for many years. His time there was interrupted for two and a half years when he voluntarily joined the Canadian Navy during WWII. His father B.G. McIntyre, as he was known, was a devoted man who served for many years in the Canadian government, culminating as Comptroller General of Canada from 1942 to 1958. During the war, Dalton joked that his pay cheques were signed by his father and they were. Dalton served on several escort missions during the war and was on the HMS Nabob aircraft carrier when it was torpedoed in the North Sea in August 1944. They made it back to port in Scotland where Dalton spent the rest of the war. He managed to inspect all the taverns in town and came away a believer in Navy rum, which he continued to enjoy throughout his life. After the war Dalton returned to Queens and graduated in 1947.

Soon after graduation, he found employment in Windsor Ontario for the princely sum of $208 a month. He received intensive product training and worked with the sales organization and clients designing and troubleshooting industrial fan and fluid drive installations and construction. He was transferred to the Montreal office in January 1949 where he joined the Order of Engineers of Quebec and had his first exposure to ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc), which became a big influence on his life. He became active in both organizations and served on several committees. Dalton was involved in the formation of several ASHRAE chapters over his career. In 1952, Dalton was made manager of the Montreal office which included agents in Halifax, Saint John, and Quebec.

The year 1952 was the most significant year of his life. That is when Dalton met and married the love of his life and best friend, Edith. Edith was also from a large family with seven sisters (Debbie, Dorothy, AnneMarie, Rosemarie, Denise, Marilyn, and Elaine) and four brothers (Armand, Raymond, Paul and George). They met at the Moncton Tennis Club in Montreal. When Dalton graduated, his mother gave him $5. He used it to take dancing lessons. He soon realized that it was also a great way to meet women. It just so happened that there was a juke box at the club for evening dancing. So, Dalton often went there to hone his dancing skills. One evening, he noticed Edith in the company of another gentleman, she was directing her date to polish her shoes as he had scuffed them up when they were dancing. So obviously Dalton figured they were married. He never thought to look for a ring on her finger. Later, when he found out that she wasn’t married, he politely asked her if he could drive her home. On the way home they stopped at a local restaurant, Mrs. Montreal, for a bite to eat and to meet up with some of Edith’s friends. Edith waved hello to them and then turned to Dalton and embarrassedly ask what his name was. Dalton laughed because he couldn’t remember her name either. They both laughed and (in Dalton’s words) they were destined to be together.

Their first date was in May of 1952, and he asked her to marry him on her birthday (July 2nd) and she actually said “no” but that was because she wanted it to be on Dalton’s birthday (July 12) as she had arranged a surprise party for him for his birthday. Dalton took her out to a restaurant that evening for dinner and proposed to her again. When they returned to her place in Beaconsfield, they were met by a huge crowd of family and friends, and as she entered, she showed off her ring.

They honeymooned in Boston and Lake Placid, and settled down in Montreal to start their lives together for a glorious 63 years and raised five children, who provided them with 15 grandchildren. The oldest, Grant has two children, Andrew and Jamie and fiancé, Patricia, next is Brian and wife Gail who have three boys, Kyle, Corey and Kurtis, then Mark with oldest Michelle married to Adrian, Cody and Shannon, followed by Lianne married to Patrick Smyth with their four children, Adaina, Caitlin, Meghan and Liam, and last but not least, Ross and wife Marian and their three children, Ariel, Olivia and Matthew.

In 1960, Dalton joined some contracting companies involved in air conditioning where he worked for 15 years. His resume included the Toronto city hall, the Forum and Olympic stadium in Montreal.
In 1975, Dalton moved the family to Ottawa, where he continued in the Consulting Engineering field with a local firm, BFH Shawinigan which was later bought out by two other firms before Dalton decided he had enough and branched out on his own. In 1984 he started McIntyre Engineering services. And at the end of his career he even sub-contracted for his son Ross’s firm of Goodkey Weedmark & Associated ltd.
From 1956 until his retirement in 1998, Dalton devoted a good deal of time to promoting and supporting ASHRAE, and participated in committees, such as the Ventilation committees of the Pulp and Paper Association, the first National Building Code, the Canadian Standards Association, and the Montreal Construction Association, eventually becoming a vice president representing the sub trades. In Ottawa, unlike his Montreal experience, he served in all ASHRAE executive positions. He took a turn at President of the Ottawa chapter from 1982 to 1983. Dalton was very grateful to ASHRAE for all the awards bestowed on him, some, as he joked, only because he was around so long.

In his leisure time, Dalton was also a founding member of The Austrian Board après-ski group and spent many happy years skiing at Gray Rocks and travelling to other desirable destinations, such as Aspen, Colorado. The club was formed to allow the members to get discounts, but the group made sure to indulge in the après-ski aspect as well. He enjoyed other sports, becoming an accomplished tennis player, cross-country and downhill skier, golf, curling and water skiing. He played tennis and curling into his 90’s and still rode his bike at 93. He also loved to drive and was still driving at 98.

Dalton’s secret to longevity was his balanced diet, exercise regime and a desire to always keep moving. “Sitting is the new cancer” and “motion is the new lotion”.
One regret he and Edith had was not having travelled more when they were young enough to enjoy it. But they travelled when they could. Edith would accompany Dalton to many of the ASHRAE conferences. While he was at meetings (almost every day), Edith would go on the tours, and tell him about them later. He used to go jogging every morning before breakfast so that he could also see some of the sites. Edith and Dalton visited many locations that they might otherwise never have visited, including Denver and Hawaii.
Later, after Dalton had retired, their travels took them to special destinations of their choosing, including a religious tour of several countries in Europe, the States and an Alaskan cruise. However, they always came back to the cottage in Tenaga to be with family and friends. They started cottaging in the Laurentian mountains at Fourteen Island Lake near Shawbridge, Quebec. This is where the kids got the bug for being away from home in the summer. After three summers of renting, and a couple boarding at David’s cottage, Dalton managed to talk his aunt Kathleen into selling her cottage in Tenaga. That is where the McIntyre clan have their summer retreat.
Dalton and Edith were very active in the Catholic church and were regulars at St Patrick’s Basilica in Ottawa. He contributed to services and devoted time and money to causes dear to his heart. In his later years, Dalton made regular visits to be with veterans at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, dedicating more than 500 hours to the care of Veterans, and receiving a commendation from the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
When they reached their 90’s, Dalton and Edith choose to move into an Independent Living Residence and were very comfortable there. They were both very happy with their choice in moving into the Park Place senior’s home, where he was the Bingo caller par excellence and enjoyed playing bridge, daily aerobics, sing alongs and participating in outdoor excursions.

A great amount of gratitude is owed to Veteran’s Affairs and the Champlain LHIN Palliative Care departments and personnel for their assistance during Dalton’s final days.

Dalton’s accomplishments, his love of life, his drive and unwavering commitment to core beliefs is what we all should strive for. Dalton was a devoted husband and father to five grateful children (plus 4) and 15 wonderful grandchildren (plus 1). Dalton’s love for Edith and hers for him for 63 years, has been an example for each of his children to live by. Dalton lived a full and rewarding life. He leaves a legacy of love, kindness, leadership, devotion, dedication and an extended family that loves him completely. They will both be missed and cherished for ever in the memories of each of us.

We are happy knowing that Dalton and Edith are once again dancing to their favorite songs for eternity…. Love you Dad and Mom!