- John Mendes
Memorial services for John V. Mendes will be held at 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 11. Pastor
Barbara Westhoff will officiate at the service at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Westby, followed
by military honors. His daughter Laura will be Urn Bearer, and his daughter Samantha will be
flagbearer. Private interment of cremated remains will be held at a later date. John, 46, died of
natural causes Wednesday night, February 18, at Westby, Montana.
John Vance Mendes was born May 20, 1962 in Napa County, California, the son of John and
Yvonne (Cochron) Mendes. He grew up in the Manteca-Modesto area of California, and
graduated from high school there, then served in the U.S. Army. John has done many things . .
. he owned a pizza parlor in Texas, worked in a candy factory in California, worked in a wrecking
yard, managed a turkey ranch, and worked in a factory making institutional furniture.
In 1990 he met Sally Winge at Wallace, California; they have been together since, and were
married in Sonora, California April 22, 2000. In August, 2006, the family moved to Westby,
where John worked as a heavy equipment operator for the Christensen and Meyer
Construction companies. Mostly, John loved to be with his family.
things with his kids, whether ball games, school activities, or just watching TV.
Westby. He is also survived by his grandmother, Elsie Mendes, in California; his father and step-mother, John Mendes Sr. and Mary
Mendes, of Westby; seven brothers, Mark Mendes, in California; Wade Mendes, of Las Vegas, Nevada; David Mendes, in Texas;
Jack Gibbs, presently moving to Westby; Bert Gibbs, in California; John Mendes, Jr. of Westby, and Brandon Mendes, of Oklahoma.
John has one sister, Shirley Duncan, who lives in Arizona. He was preceded in death by his mother, Yvonne.
Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of arrangements.
| . . . . in Memory of . . . . |
| 1962 - 2009 |
Remembering John