Frank Mendes

Frank Emmons Mendes 3rd, age 82, of Glendale Springs, NC, passed away in Spartanburg,
SC, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was a beloved husband, father,
grandfather and friend to many. Born in Brooklyn, NY, son of the late Frank E. Mendes, Jr.
and Helen Randall Mendes of Maplewood, NJ, he was the grandson of Frank E. Mendes, Sr.
and Elizabeth Dingee Mendes and of Harry D. Randall and Blanche Kelley Randall. He
graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J.
Graduating in 1944 from Bucknell University, he obtained a BSEE while a Naval V-12
enlistee. At Bucknell, he participated in seven sports, including boxing, wrestling, and
football and was president of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Commissioned as a Navy
Ensign, Frank volunteered with the Navy "Seabees" and served on Guam as the youngest
CB officer. Returning home in 1946 as a LTJG, he married his college classmate Ruth
A. Smith of Wilmington, DE.
After WWII, Frank worked for New Jersey Bell and later joined Jackson and Moreland
consulting engineers in Boston, where he was a liaison instrument and control designer for
the G.E. Knolls Atomic Power Plant in Schenectady, NY, the first commercial nuclear power
plant. In 1950, he joined The duPont Co. of Wilmington, DE, as an Electrical and
Instrumentation engineer at the May plant in Camden, SC, where he had a long, rewarding
career until his retirement in 1983.
Frank served as various officers in the Instrument Society of America, the National
Engineering Society, and Toastmaster's International. He was a member of the Bethesda
Presbyterian Church Men's club.
After retirement, he and his wife moved to Glendale Springs in Ashe County, NC, where he
was an active member of the Mount Jefferson Presbyterian Church in West Jefferson, NC.
Frank was especially active in a study group affectionately dubbed "Blue
Ridge University". He had a wide variety of interests and a diverse circle of friends who
enjoyed his wit, intelligence, caring concern, generosity, and friendly smile.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth; his son, John Randall Mendes and his wife, Dottie
McLellan Mendes of Charlotte, NC; a daughter, Barbara Mendes Jurs, and son-in-law, Dr.
Dennis G. Jurs; and grandson, Jason R. Jurs of Spartanburg, SC. A sister, Elaine Mendes
Young, predeceased him.
Memorial services will be held at Mount Jefferson Presbyterian Church, 201 S. Jefferson,
Ave., West Jefferson, NC, on Saturday, April 8th, at 2 PM. A private interment will take
place at Ashelawn Memorial Gardens. The family suggests memorials be made to
Regional Hospice of Spartanburg, 120 Heywood Ave. Suite 300, Spartanburg, SC 29302;
Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen Drive, Columbus, NC 28722; Mount
Jefferson Presbyterian Church Building Fund, West Jefferson, NC 28694; or the Ashe
County Public Library, 148 Library Drive, West Jefferson, NC 28694.
Condolences may be sent to the family through our website at www.ashelawn.com.