Armando E Mendez

Armando E. Mendez, much beloved brother, uncle, husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on Saturday evening January 16 at the Kaiser-Permanente Baldwin park Medical Center Hospital. At the time of his death from a brief but mortal illness, he was surrounded at his bedside by his closest family members.

He was 85 years old, one moth past his birthday.

He was born on December 14, 1930 in El Paso, Texas, the fifth child of six of naturalized citizens Alfonso N. and Maria S. Mendez, his siblings including Alfonso, Jr., Mary, Eva, Gloria, and followed by his youngest sister Yolanda, and spent the first portion of his life in Texas, where he graduated from El Paso High School and had a two year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.

After his high school graduation and prior to his enlistment in the Corps, he had met and then married 19 year old Loretta Dominguez on July, 1st, 1950. The young couple remained in El Paso for the birth of their children Patricia, Armando, Jr., and Leticia, and moved to Los Angeles in 1961, reuniting with his mother Maria's extended family who has resided in the area since the 1920s and eventually most of his paternal relatives came to Southern California as well. His daughter, Rebecca, joined the busy family in 1962, while the couple moved through the L.A. neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and El Sereno, until finally settling in Alhambra in 1975.

In El Paso he had worked for the father's gas station and subsequent freight company and then as a U.S. Post Office mail carrier. After the move to Los Angeles, he had a variety of jobs, including Simmons Mattress, Safeway Grocery, and Alcoa Aluminum, until 1967 when he entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard Boilermaker program. At the Shipyard for 25 years, he rose from apprentice to shop foreman in less than five years, and after obtaining an AA degree in Business Management from Long Beach Community College, his final assignment was as Shipyard Boilermaker Estimator and Planner, a position he held until his retirement in 1992.

Among his greatest joy was seeing the success and happiness of his children and grandchildren, his eldest daughter Pat becoming a bank Vice-President, Armando, Jr. a college professor, Leticia, a fashion designer, and Rebecca, an insurance executive. Grandson Michael, a graduate degree in Divinity holder, Amanda, an elementary school teacher, Tyler, a third year architecture student at Cal Ploy, San Luis Obispo, and last, Emily a senior at South Pasadena High School.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years Loretta, his older sister Gloria Bejarano of El Paso, his children, including his son in-law Bert, and their own extended loving families and wide circle of friends.

A prayer service will be held 10:30-11:30 Monday, January 25 at the Main Mortuary Chapel, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 4201 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, burial with military honors immediately following, joining in place the family who proceeded him in Eternity and leaving behind those who will always remember him, sharing the joys and sorrows of life until they too will be reunited.