Dear Henry
Henry Whitefield McIntyre took his last breath at 3:05 am December 6, 2012. He was my brother whom I loved, admired, disagreed with, tried to educate but found that almost impossible. He had few manners and he liked it that way. He always told me, “Maud, nobody ever gets out of this ol’ world alive.” Well, the legend is gone. Some said, “His’ going straight to hell.” Others texted me, “It’s a holy moment.” Some of the young men told me stories as bitter as gall of his harsh discipline and mean criticism. I knew every word was true. You don’t have to stretch stories about Henry McIntyre; the truths are bigger than life and they stand alone. He was a hard man and he built grit in the young men that he attracted. But, if he was so damn undesirable by some then why did so many other men show up to see him put in the dry and dusty ground far from civilization? Men came from all over Texas and two from New Mexico. Hunters, ranchers, want to be cowboys, writers, classmates, friends and their sons, men and a few women joined his family and the chosen pall bearers to feel the last aurora of Henry McIntyre one last time. Men cried, even I cried as I shoveled dirt over the box that held the man I knew so well.
Maudie Salmon
PS: You can see my brother here — click on the youtube video below…