10/05/2001
Andrew J. “Mendy” Mendenhall, 104, formerly of Jesup and Washington, died Friday, October 5, 2001, at United Presbyterian Home, Washington, of natural causes.
He was born September 24, 1897, in Leighton, the son of Orbo P. and Julia M. Cottet Mendenhall. He married Neva Lucile Gallup on August 17, 1926, on the family farm near
Littleton. She died June 20, 1994, at the U.P. Home, Washington.
Mr. Mendenhall graduated from Knoxville schools in 1916. He was a 1920 graduate
of Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill. He taught school and coached in Illinois,
Montana, Kansas, and South Dakota. Andrew and Neva met while both taught in the Lead,
S.D. school system. The three oldest daughters were born in Lead.
In 1930, the family moved to Gurnee, Ill, where their youngest daughter was born.
A career change in 1936 saw the family moving to a farm near Arlington. Andrew became
a farmer and only returned to teaching for short periods in Iowa.
The next move in 1943 was to a family farm in Buchanan County near Littleton. He
retired from farming, bought more farmland, returned part-time to farming, and retired
from farming a second time in 1989. At that time, he moved to Washington where Neva
had been living since December 1979.
All ages called him Grandpa or Mendy as he shared, taught, and supported many organizations in each community the family lived. He was a 50-year member of the Masons and Eastern Star.
Mr. Mendenhall is survived by three daughters, Mary Joan Haasis, widow, of Waterloo,
Mrs. Julia Dwan Schmidt of Perry, and Mrs. Audrey Merle Bergman of Dubuque; 16 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 10 great-great-grandchildren; one sister, C. Maude Wrigley of Los Alos. Calif. He is preceded in death by a daughter, Mrs. Neva Jean Schields his parents and three sisters.
The memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 10, at Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church, Littleton.
Bring your stories and memories to share. Burial will be at a later date; his body was donated to Des Moines University – Osteopathic Medical Center.