Luis Mendez

November 16, 1928 - August 1, 2021

Luis “Apa/ Papi/ Abuelito/ Don Luis” passed away on August 1, 2021 at the age of 92 or as he would’ve have said “29” in his home in Yucaipa. His battle with serious medical issues in this recent year showed his courage in facing life challenges with a smile. He never complained of any pain, Luis came out a hero and stayed strong until the end. Luis met his wife, Maria De La Luz, in 1943 at the age of 15 through a cousin of her’s that he was friends with. She worked at a bakery three blocks away from where he lived. He loved her very much. After dating for a year they got married at the court building in 1944 at the age of 16. Five months after, they had a small church wedding in Pachuca Hidalgo. He enrolled in the military and one year after went to war against Germany and Japan. Together they had six children: Ruben, Joaquin, Olivia, Jose Luis, Maricela, and Jose Guillermo. They had 23 grand children and many great grand children & great great grand children. Luis didn’t have much schooling. He went from kinder to second grade. He learned a lot by watching. He became a glass cutter. He started with sweeping and slowly worked his way up. After cut backs at work his union rep suggested he retire and start his own business in glass cutting. Luis’ favorite things to do was going to the casino, telling stories, and fishing. Luis loved going to the casino. He would often say, “Lets go to el bufalo.” He didn’t really care which casino he went to he just loved going and playing the slots. He could spend hours playing. We would have to pull him away to eat and sleep. He would often say, “Cocktails” even though he didn’t drink. He could play and talk for days. It was always a pleasure to listen to all his stories about his life adventures.