Maj. James Mendell

July 11, 1930 - March 20, 2017

Retired U. S. Army Major James Martin Mendell, 86, 101st Airborne Division, 10th Special Forces Group, U. S. Army Medical Service Corps, died March 20th at Joyce Goldenberg Hospice Residence in Pensacola, Florida after a short battle with leukemia.

Major Mendell was born in Walla Walla, Washington. He served in the U. S. Army for 22 years with assignments in Japan, Korea, Germany and Washington, D. C. During his time in Germany, Major Mendell was the Action Officer at United States Army Europe (USAREUR) developing and implementing plans to move American Medical Facilities from France to Germany, Belgium and other locations and served as Adjunct Professor teaching for overseas branch of the University of Maryland. Returning to Washington, D. C. in 1968, Maj. Mendell was the Special Assistant to the Controller, Office of the Surgeon General, U. S. Army. After retirement in 1970, he went on to a successful career in Hospital Administration and Medical Group Management in Columbus, Ohio and Medford, Oregon before becoming President and majority owner of AFA Financial, Inc. in 1991. He resided in Sausalito, California until moving to Pensacola, Florida in 2012 to be near his daughter and her husband, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Major Mendell was preceded in death by his wife Dorla Dee Mendell and his second wife Jocelyn Martin Mendell and is survived by sons Michael J. Mendell and Thomas E. Mendell; daughter Melissa L. Holloway; 5 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Trahan Family Funeral Home of Milton, 850-5641585 is handling local arrangements.

James Martin Mendell will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery with full Military Honors on August 25, 2017.