John Mendes

Our adored brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and entertainer passed away peacefully on October 12, 2018. He was born April 18, 1930 in Sao Paulo, Brasil to Joaquim and Germana Rosa Mendes. John was the fifth of six children including Maria, Francisco, Antonio, Joaquim, and Davina.
John was always a hard worker and in 1963 he immigrated to the United States. He lived in Newark, New Jersey and married Celia (Nogueira) the following year, in August 1964. They lived in Newark and eventually moved their family to Salt Lake City. They had six children and spent 46 years together, later divorced.
John continued to work hard his entire life, proudly providing for his large family. He was a metallurgist for the whole of his career and retired in 2013 at the impressive age of 83. John also understood the importance of continued learning and decided to attend night classes to earn his GED. He graduated with honors in 2011.
John was an avid swimmer and diver. He spent every day he could utilizing the platforms, diving boards and swim lanes at Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center. His grandkids loved spending time with him at the pool. He was an inspiring diver and often drew crowds who enjoyed watching his routine and cheering him on. He made many friends at the pool and everywhere he went. He will be missed dearly.
John is survived by his sister: Davina (Mateus) Rocco; children: Pauline Mendes, John (Cami) Mendes, Howard (Annie) Mendes, Christine (Bryan) Romero, Paul Mendes, Rebecca (Scott) Peters; grandchildren: Luke, Alex, Taylor (Zac), Noah, Eva, Isabel, Anna, Cameron, Aubry, Payzlee, Abbie, Arlo, Van; great-grandchildren: baby Jay.
A reception will be held in his honor on Thursday, October 25th from 5:00-7:00 PM at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan followed by a celebration of John’s life beginning at 7:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to your local senior center (https://slco.org/aging-adult-services/donation/). John enjoyed his time and the friends he made at the Salt Lake Senior Center.