Dr. Helen Althia Mendes - Love

Dr. Helen Althia Mendes-Love, 84, peacefully entered into her Savior’s arms on September 3, 2019. Dr. Mendes-Love was born in New York, New York and nurtured by her parents, Arthur Lee Davenport & Louise Dow Davenport. She was raised in Harlem, the Bronx and the Jamaica Queens area with her siblings: Ruth, James, Meta & King John. In her early years, Helen was very outgoing and energized by positive people, especially her junior high teacher Mrs. Booker, and best friends Katherine Driver Barnes and George T. Johnson. She loved engaging in activities surrounding her, which afforded her the opportunity to attend a distinctive high school for music and art in New York. She loved singing classical music, played the pipe organ and piano for several churches. During a pivotal time in her journey she met the love of her life; Gregory R. Love, the one who walked by her side for the rest of her life. Their bond was created at her home church, Wilshire United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, CA where they worshipped together. In December of 1980, Helen married her best friend whose love, prodding, spiritual insight, computer skills, care and support over the years have been invaluable to her.

She accredited many accomplishments to her solid upbringing and most of all, her profound love for God. The strength she drew from her relationship with God was inspired by her mother, Louise. The late Reverend William James of the United Methodist Church was a towering spiritual giant in her youth. He ignited her thirst for knowledge of God and the principles of His kingdom. In Helen’s adult years, her Sunday School teacher, Dr. Tonya Lewis, showed her how practical the Christian faith is for overcoming life’s challenges. She was privileged to be under the pastorate of Bishop Charles E. Blake of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ of Los Angeles, CA, where she served on the Board of Trustees and Committee Chairperson during the construction of the historical cathedral. She described her Bishop as a gifted preacher who is called by God to motivate thousands to embrace the life transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. She cultivated many spiritual relationships within the body of Christ and received acclamations on her written word from: brother, Rev. Dr. Arthur W. Davenport, Senior Pastor of First Church of God, Far Rockaway, NY; Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, former Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL; Dr. Betty Price of Crenshaw Christian Center, Los Angeles, CA; Bishop Timothy Clarke, Senior Pastor of First Church of God, Columbus, OH; Evangelist Tim Storey, Gregory R. Dantzler, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Beverly Hills, CA; Pastor Scott Jones, Chairman of Global Network of Christian Ministries and Pastor Brett Jones, Senior Pastors of Grace Church of Humble and many more.

During her final years, Helen embraced Grace Church in Humble, TX, where she was shepherded by Pastors Brett & Scott Jones while also receiving compassionate care from Pastor Keith Cistrunk. There are countless individuals who attributed to her life through significant acts of kindness. Those experiences led Helen to focus her entire life on serving others. Helen indicated that her greatest qualification was being sensitive to others.

Dr. Mendes-Love was the president of Mendes Consultation Services of Los Angeles. She had over 55 years of experience helping people solve stressful personal, marital, family and work-related problems. She earned her master degree in social work at Columbia University in NY and her doctorate at UCLA in Southern CA. She studied theology at Fuller Theological seminary in Pasadena, CA. For eleven years, she was a professor of social work at the University of Southern California where she taught master and Ph.D students. She was also on the faculties of UCLA, Hunter College School of Social Work and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in NY. She was a member of the Academy of Social Workers, a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work and a licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California. Dr. Mendes taught social work at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA and served on the Board of Trustees at Columbia University. She was a popular guest speaker, giving workshops and seminars for professional and lay audiences. She consulted with and trained executive and line staff at corporate, non-profit and military organizations on improving human relationships in the workplace. Hawthorne Police Department received her training to better handle cultural diversity. As a political activist, she attended: “March on Washington” with Martin Luther King, Jr., “March Against War in Vietnam” and volunteered to promote the election of Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Dr. Mendes-Love authored: The African Heritage Cookbook, a history-recipe book published by McMillan & Co., which is now a classic; God’s Stress Management Plan, the Ten Biblical Principles for Avoiding, Reducing or Better Managing Stress, published through her very own, Vicstone Publishing Company in both English and Spanish; Reflections on the Upsides of Aging, Living with Joy & Purpose After Age 50, published by West Bow Press; her final work was in progress: God’s Anger Management Plan & How to Invest in Real Estate with Little to No Cash Down, to be published soon. She also authored numerous professional articles, she has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, Essence Magazine, Redbook Magazine and Human Behavior Magazine. She has also been a guest on radio and television including: KCBS, KNBC, KACE, KJLH & KZLA.

Dr. Mendes-Love was a recipient of UCLA’s Distinguished Scholarship Award, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Woman of the Year in Education, Award of Merit for Outstanding Service to USC School of Social Work and a Woman of Religious Achievement Award. She is listed in Who’s Who Among Black Americans, Who’s Who Among American Women, World’s Who’s Who of Women and the Out-standing People of the 20th Century. She was inducted into the City of Los Angeles “Hall of Fame of Excellence”; received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Southern Poverty Law Center for her contribution to the ongoing fight against hatred and intolerance in America.

Dr. Mendes-Love is a devout Christian who integrated a Christian Worldview in her psychotherapy practice. Dr. Mendes-Love stated, “My goal is to help people grow in their faith in God and their commitments to Him. I want to help people to learn first-hand how wonderfully effective Biblical principles are for enabling people to deal victoriously with the inevitable problems of life.” A favorite pursuit of traveling led Dr. Mendes-Love to 31 countries where she collected numerous uniquely created artifacts. Some of her prized collections were gifts from the mission field, created by the subtle hands of those who saw the love of Christ through her work. As an art collector, she has adorned her spaces with priceless African sculptures, paintings, masks and prints.

When asked how she would like to be remembered, Dr. Mendes stated, “I have lived a FABULOUS life. Not just a good life.” Her precious memories will be cherished by those she loved most: loving husband, Gregory R. Love; brother, Rev. Dr. Arthur W. Davenport and wife Norma; daughter, Sheila Mendes Coleman and husband Andre; son, Leon Kumani Mendes and friend Emily; grandchildren: Brittany, Devon, Kumani, Lauren, Deon, Leah; step-grandchildren: Todd, Dimitri “Bud”, Joseph, Alexis, Cornelius, Brittany; a host of great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The family will gather for a Memorial Service to remember Dr. Helen Mendes-Love at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2019 in the Family Chapel of Brookside Funeral Home, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039. In lieu of floral tributes, memorial contributions can be sent to: Gregory R. Love c/o Brookside Funeral Home to honor the life and continue the legacy of Dr. Mendes-Love.