The California Automobile Museum on Front Street is one of Sacramento’s gems, thanks to Irene and her late husband, Richard Ryder. They founded the museum in 1983 out of their love for collecting automobiles. One of their favorites was a luxury Pierce-Arrow coup.
Today, Irene Ryder is a centenarian, 103 years young. She is full of life and has a loving sense of humor that is unmatchable. She used to play golf a lot. When asked what her handicap was, she said, “I’m not going to tell you!”
Irene was born on April 9, 1920. Along with her two brothers and a sister, she was raised by her parents in Greenville, a small town in Plumas County in Northern California. In 1881, Greenville was burned by fire and then again by the Greenville Fire in 2021, at that time the largest wildfire in California history. The home Irene grew up in was burned to the ground. But she still has fond memories of the idyllic life that was her childhood. She says, “I enjoyed the snow and sleighing in Greenville.”
Her father Donald McIntyre built the Light Power Company for the valley. “He was always busy,” Irene remembers. “Mother was a good cook and kept us all fat.” Irene smiles gingerly. “I enjoyed baking, too, at one time! German chocolate cake was one of my favorites.” Her parents took Irene on the Delta King round trip to San Francisco, when she was young. Irene also has fond memories of traveling to the East Coast in 1938 and walking up to the Statue of Liberty.
Another outstanding event in Irene’s life is when she shook the hand of then-President John F. Kennedy upon his arrival at the Executive Airport in Sacramento. “I stuck my hand up and he shook it.” What an exciting moment that was!
Irene and her husband traveled extensively overseas. They visited the South China Sea for thirty days. On this trip, their ship was suddenly caught in a rough ocean storm. “We were being tossed everywhere,” she recalls. “I held onto the seat while a little boy brought me free drinks. I was the only one who didn’t get sick!”
Truly, Irene has been enjoying life. “I have not been sick like other people, then and now. Today I am very well.” Irene is a sports enthusiast and an ardent Kings fan!
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