Pastor John entered eternity on 9-2-21
My name is Gene McIntyre and on September second of 2021, I had the honor to stand with my husband of almost 23 years as he transitioned into heaven, from physical death, into the arms of Yahweh, the Lord of all the Universe. This passing followed the hardest 32 days of my life. Thirty two days filled with both hope and angst. Faith & doubt. In the end, faith won. The greatest miracle of all happened. John was permanently freed from a mortal body and ushered before the very God to whom he devoted his life since age nineteen. John had just turned 60. From now on, on his eternal body, he ages no more!
We live in Bradenton, Florida and have two teen-aged children. My husband, a pastor, chaplain and nursing assistant. A dedicated husband. A super dad. A man of integrity who loves God and his Word and who walked every day of his life on this earth, in love, humility and kindness. Our children: JC, a 13-year old child who plays the drums, composes music, sings opera and loves math, media, sports and, like his dad, all sort of trivia. Our daughter, an 18-year old singer/ songwriter, talented but humble. A passionate friend. Daddy’s little girl. The day she was born, I’ve always joked, I became the other woman. She and dad were very close. Went for drives, a daily coffee run, and there were also dates, flowers and notes. Dad missed Astrid’s first solo professional concert in mid-August. We did not know this but, the day he attempted to cheer her on from his hospital bed regarding this concert, would be the last time she would hear his voice on this earth. He also missed when we moved her to college two weeks before his passing. We still cannot believe he missed that. Neither can we believe that he won’t walk her down the aisle one day. Me, a woman who stayed fiercely in love with her guy. Together we laughed, we cried, we lived vulnerable lives dedicated to love God and change the world. Nothing, not practicing law, not doing human resources or developing talent and organizations, no recognition or accolade ever gave me the joy that serving God and others along John’s side has brought to my life. Loving and serving. That’s our thing! How I miss it! How I miss him!
In the blink of an eye, John fell severely ill with Covid-19 and had to be run to the hospital in an ambulance on August 1st, the same day he turned 60. Shortly after being hospitalized, he ended up in the ICU of Manatee Memorial Hospital, attached to a ventilator, in an induced coma. We prayed and advocated and knocked on different doors and then prayed some more. In the end, nothing we did allowed us to keep him on this side of the sun. Pastor John and I have always struggled with asking for support (you can ask our congregation) but in the midst of our crisis, a good friend told me, “if you can’t reach out to others for help in a situation like this, when can you?” After prayerfully considering my friend’s advice, I was reminded of all the calls and messages asking me how you all could help us in a practical way. So we started this campaign and have been using this platform to bring you along on this difficult journey, pursuing and cherishing your prayers and support and, yes, accepting financial donations from those who feel inclined to contribute that way. I was laid off from regular employment in January of this year courtesy of a Covid-19 driven business reduction-in-force. I have, since then, completed two multi-month consulting professional assignments. At this moment, I am actively searching for a new job.
To say that these are rough, dark days for us, would be an understatement. And yet, even then, God’s kindness and presence have carried us through and sustain us today. Please know that your encouragement, love and prayers have lifted us up. Your dedication to us during this trial has been an extension of God’s manifest love in our lives. We are grateful. We continue to trust, love and revere God. And we continue to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.