John A Mendoza

August 15, 1953 - January 30. 2013

John was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to Alexander and Alexandra Mendoza. He attended Garfield High School and graduated in 1971.

On July 5th, 1975 he married his high school sweetheart, Katherine Nunez.

He worked as a consumer safety inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture for 25 years.

He is survived by his wife and their three children: Jason, Carolyn and Patrick.

John was a soft-spoken and passionate man. His soft-spoken nature and gentleness never faltered. He had a keen sense of adventure. His wife recollects on his 53rd birthday that he wanted to go on a hot-air balloon ride. At first she was eager to try this new experience, but when the attendant brought the accidental death waiver for them to sign, she changed her mind. She refused to sign it, sure that they would die. In his calm way he told her, "just sign the paper, Katherine." She did and they were off. She said he always made her try new things.

He was an avid collector and had a collection of Star Trek, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings memorabilia. He also enjoyed collecting coins. His wife said he was like a little boy when it came to his collection. He played golf and tennis with his children on Saturday.

John was an extreme Dodger and Laker fan, recalls his brother Snow. "I remember the number of times we bantered about the Lakers and Clippers and Dodgers and Angels, all in jest of course. He was very passionate about those two ball clubs. The other fond memory is the time which we played softball together on an adult men's league. This was the first opportunity we really did anything together, and it was a blast playing with my big brother," Snow recounted.

"John did not speak a lick of Spanish. He took German because he said he could not pronounce Spanish," his sister Martha said. She remembers the summer before she started college at Long Beach State, MECHA hosted an orientation to bring your younger sibling to school. John went with her to the class, Chicano Thought. "We all had a turn introducing ourselves. When it was John's turn, he said, 'My name is Juan Antonio Mendoza De Azlan'."

"I will never forget when I noticed when he stopped being my little brother and became the big brother. It occurred when he grew taller than me. He was always surprising me with his inventions and novel and clever ideas," Martha said. "John was the epitome of the family, not around in your daily affairs, but there when you needed him."

Ollie, his sister fondly remembers her brother John as strong and athletic. She would always ask him to flex his 23-inch pythons so that she could see the veins in his arms pop out and that would make him blush. She also remembers his sense of humor and how much he loved music and the "Doors."

His sister Barbara Ellsworth said John was a quiet man, a man of few words with a smile always on his face. She also remembers him giving her a talking Barbie Doll for a gift, with the mantra, "What shall I wear to the Prom?" This saying has guided me through my whole life. It is a saying I say constantly to this day, and it has made me very fashion-conscious. I always say "What shall I wear to the Prom," whenever I have to go somewhere. "Thanks for the gift of this memory, John," she added.

His wife Katherine said, "He was the love of my life."

We are so much more than a few words that are written when we pass. We are years, decades worth of moments and words spoken and unspoken. John filled his family's days and lives with the fondest memories. His family and friends will miss his deadpan humor and gentle calmness.

Please sign the guest book at www.luybenfamilyd-m.com (562) 425-6401