Anibal was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 3, 1928, to Mario and Ananias Mendes. He was the oldest of six children. He and his family emigrated to Portugal when he was five and lived there until he met and married Lucia in 1958. In the early sixties, he came to the United States in search of the “American Dream” and he, his wife Lucia, and their two children, Antonio (Tony) and Marilyn made their home in Harrison, NY for over 35 years.
Anibal’s passion was automobiles: He worked as an autobody mechanic up until the day he retired in 1995, and his passion for automobiles was surpassed only by his expertise and perfectionism in his ability to “make a car brand new again…like it had never been hit”. He was a true artist in his profession, and everyone knew: “If Mendes can’t do it, no one can!”
He retired in 1995 and moved back to Portugal with his wife, Lucia. After many back and forth visits to the United States, failing health brought him back to the U.S. to live with his daughter, son-in-law Barry, and grandson, Kevin, in Bethel CT.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Tony, in 1993.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his devoted family: daughter Marilyn Wood and her husband, Barry, of Bethel, CT. His grandchildren: Kevin Wood, Cailin Greene, Corinn Mendes, and Michael Mendes. His great-grandchildren: Landon and Chloe Greene. His sister, Francesca Espirito Santo, of Valbom, Portugal and his niece, Isabella Espirito Santo of Valbom, Portugal.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00AM on Monday, June 11, 2018, at St. Mary’s Church, Bethel, CT. Interment will follow in Greenwood-Union Cemetery, Rye, New York. Friends will be received from 2pm-5pm on Sunday, June 10, 2018, at Green Funeral Home, 57 Main St., Danbury.
In lieu of flowers, consider offering a Mass at St. Mary Church, 24 Dodgingtown Rd., Bethel, CT 06801
For further information or to express your condolences on line, go to www.thegreenfuneralhome.com
