Clinton McIntire Jr. 1926 -2026

Clinton McIntire, Jr. (many knew him simply as Junior) was born in Dallas, June 19, 1926, to Clint and Cleo McIntire. At about age 2 the family moved to a ranch near Bluff Dale, the Three Circle, belonging to Sid Richardson, one of the original wealthy oil families in Texas. At age 6 Clinton rode his horse to a one room school in Cedar Point. At age 14 he drove 5 other children to school. 

On June 8, 1944, less than two weeks from his 18th birthday, as many young men of his era were doing, Clinton enlisted in the military. He tells the story of traveling by train to the first assignment in the Navy and then his time in the Palau Islands. He served on a gunboat that followed a minesweeper in the Pacific. The minesweeper would cut the mines loose and when they floated to the surface, Clinton’s boat would then shoot them until they exploded. 

 After completing school through the 9th grade in Bluff Dale, Clinton attended school in Tolar. While there, he met Cynthia Wann. After returning from the Navy, he and Cynthia were wed on June 28, 1947. They would be married for 73 years until her death in 2020.From the late 1940s to 1964 Clinton worked almost exclusively on the farm/ranch at Paluxy. He and Cynthia had three children: Terry in 1950, Sheila in 1954, and Sharon in 1960. In 1964, 

Clinton began working at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, where he worked until 1988. Every day for almost the entire time Clinton worked at Bell, he played in what as well might have been the World Championship Domino Tournament at meal breaks; the best domino players in the world were right there at Bell. 

 After Clinton retired, he and Cynthia caught the traveling bug. They saw much of the country from tour buses. And some of the world beyond on a cruise. In 1992, they bought a travel trailer and joined the Comanche Peak SAMS. They camped and socialized with this same group almost every month for over 20 years. 

Clinton always had a strong sense of community and was active in local issues. In the early 1980s, a lake was proposed that would flood the family farm. Clinton, his family and neighbors organized for a fight that would last for the next 20 years. Ultimately, they were successful. 

 April 7,2006 Dad was in a serious farm accident. He was run over by a farm tractor. His injuries consisted of an almost severed ear, a fractured skull, broken ribs on both sides of his chest, a broken collarbone, a broken leg and quite a few bruises and abrasions. He spent about 3 weeks in the hospital before going home and was back on a tractor within a few months 

After Cynthia’s death in 2020, he remained at home on the farm mostly happy and independent; then with a wonderful team of family and caregivers helping him during his last days. His life on Earth ended 5 months short of his 100th birthday. Clinton is survived by his children son Terry & wife Nancy, Sheila & husband Butch, and Sharon & husband Ken, 7 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

The Early Years

Junior was born in Dallas, June 19, 1926 to Clint and Cleo McIntire. At about age 2 the family moved to a ranch near Bluff Dale. The ranch, Three Circle, belonged to Sid Richardson, one of the original wealthy oil families in Texas. Clinton started to school in a one room school in Cedar Point.





Ms. Winnie Browning, now 92, was once a school teacher in Cedar Point. She was 18 years old and had about 25 students, grades 1-8, in a one-room school. She says there was a mesquite tree behind the school which served as a hitching post for the mounts of students who rode to school on horseback. The only water source was a cistern. Everyone drank from the same dipper. The school had a wood burning stove on which Winnie sometimes cooked a pot of soup or beans. On her first day of teaching, Winnie bent over to one of the first-graders and asked for his name. The reply came "Clinton McIntire, Junior, but they just call me Junior." "When is your birthday?" she asked. "It's N_____ Day" he replied. Junior and his older brother, Lloyd, and sister, Irene all attended school in Cedar Point. They lived on the Three Circle Ranch and rode a horse to school. Later they attended Bluff Dale and Tolar schools.

From interview with Winnie Browning by Sheila Maine




Clint (his dad) share cropped some farm land on the ranch along with managing the ranch. They raised broom corn, popcorn and some other cash crops. They would travel to Keene, TX to sell the tassels harvested from the broom corn. In Keene this crop was made into brooms. One of the neighbors was an excellent trapper. Clinton remembers one time when the neighbor trapped 4 particularly large raccoons. After they were skinned, so the skins could be sold. Clint and the trapper dressed them out and Cleo made chili from them. To quote Clinton “That was the best chili I ever had”.



Clinton Jr. and I both grew up on the Three Circles Ranch in Earth County, as you know; I remember moving from Ft. Worth to the ranch when I was about five years old. Clinton was two or so. I do not remember living anywhere else so it was there until I went to Tarleton, from there to WW2 and I never returned but Clinton did and has lived in Hood County for the past 58-60 yrs. When we lived on the ranch we went to a one room school house at Cedar Point, sometimes we walked and sometimes we rode horses to school. We swam and fished in Richardson creek. Our dad leased all the farm land from the ranch and we grew oats, and had a lot of hay. It was a share cropping thing but the ranch bought every thing we raised and they allowed us some cotton acreage which was our money crop. Clinton and I had two acres of popcorn we raised and sold for ourselves. We hunted and trapped for some extra money, maybe we were poor but I always thought we were rich. Clinton was a much better shot than I was, so when we went hunting he almost always got something..

Lloyd McIntire, brother

When Junior was still very young, probably 7-9, there was a new fence built around the Three Circle ranch. Dad was the water boy for the crew of local men. He carried the water in a cart behind his pony. This was when he first had the nickname Tuffy. Because the nicknames Tuffy and Junior were mostly used, many never knew his real name.


Reminiscing about my cousin and special friend, Clinton (Junior) McIntire:
The first time I remember seeing Junior was when my family paid a Sunday visit. He and his family were living on a cattle ranch west of the Paluxy River and south of bluff dale. His father was ranch manager. On that visit and others Junior, his brothers and I tried our hand at fishing, swimming, and hunting.
The first year I played football at Tolar, Tolar played Bluff Dale. I'm not sure who won, but I was surprised to find Junior playing half-back. He was in football uniform from the waist up; below that he was wearing blue jeans and leather cowboy boots. Junior's team mates called him "toughie". He soon proved why. He ran very fast, boots and all. And if he saw someone was going to tackle him, he tried to run right through them. He hurt you!

Jerry Barton, cousin