Leola Mendez

Leola Mendez was born by a midwife on February 20, 1944, in La Crosse Florida. She was born to parents, Idell Humphreys and Willie Johnson. She was baptized at an early age at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church also located in La Crosse, Florida. Leola graduated from A.L. Mebane High School in 1963, where she was a standout basketball player. After graduation, she worked at the University of Florida and at In and Out Burger in Gainesville, Florida. She was happily married to Joe Mendez in Valdosta, Georgia on November 21, 1968. They moved to Kankakee in 1969. She is the mother of two sons, Yousaf Mendez and Jose Mendez. She received her cosmetology license in 1968. She also eventually opened her own salon in 1980. Lee’s Hair Care was a successful business until she retired in 2003. She attended Wildwood Church of the Nazarene in Kankakee, IL where she was an active member for many years. She also attended the Harvest Family Church in Tinley Park, IL. She ran a food pantry out of her basement for 8 years. She really loved volunteering with her church and many other nonprofit organizations. She enjoyed fishing with her family and watching the different species of birds that would come to eat from her birdfeeders. She enjoyed baking cakes (especially for the holidays) and having a house full of family and friends. She liked tending to her garden and playing her two favorite card games, Spades and Bid Whist. She was a member of the Pentecostal Community Church under Pastor Larry Garcia for 15 years, until her untimely passing on March 9, 2022. She helped with fundraisers and making programs for the church or whenever she felt there was a need. She will be carried in the hearts of those she loved, and remembered for her kindness and generosity, her dedication and devotion to God and community. Her smile and laughter have warmed the hearts of many. She will be missed and forever loved. She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband, Joe Mendez of Kankakee, IL; her sons, Yousaf Mendez and Jose Mendez, both of Kankakee, IL; her granddaughter, Yanez Mendez of Kankakee, IL; her brothers and sisters-in-law, David (Cheryl) Johnson of Killen, TX, Frank (Linda) Duncan of Alachua, FL and Tony Duncan of Gainesville, FL; her sisters and brothers-in-law, Mary Horne of Lakeland, FL, Geneva Presley of La Crosse, FL, Linda Harvey of Hainsworth, FL, Ella (Lavern) Hill and Sharon (James) Porter, all of Alachua, FL and Dollie Johnson of Hawthorne, FL, and a host of other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her mother, Idell Humphreys; her father, Willie Johnson; a sister, Willeen Johnson and a brother, William Duncan.

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Leola Mendez

February 20, 1944 - March 9, 2022