- Date Of Birth: January 24, 1938
- Date Of Death: November 27, 2020
- State: North Carolina
Edward Ronald “Ron” Mendell passed into eternal glory on November 27, 2020 after a brief illness. Ron was born in Newport, Kentucky on January 24, 1938, the only child of the late Jerome and Margie Mendell.
In high school, Ron excelled in several sports and was inducted into the Northern Kentucky High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He played foot ball on a scholarship for the University of Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky University where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Always an educator, Ron taught students in various settings before and after earning his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. Realizing that he preferred the small college environment, he accepted a position at Mt. Olive College to develop and chair the Department of Recreation Leisure Studies. He retired from the position in 2000.
Ron was active in several professional organizations and served as the national president of the American Association for Leisure and Recreation in 1984-1985. Ron served his church, Bethel United Methodist Church, La Grange as the audio/visual technician for many years.
Ron is survived by his wife, Sandra Creech Mendell; his sons, Brian Mendell and wife Susan of Grimesland and Mark Mendell and wife, Angela of Elizabethtown; his step daughter, Cindy Weeks and husband, David of Goldsboro; step son, Chris Creech and wife, Teresa of LaGrange; granddaughters, Courtney, Lexie, Lorna, Caitlin and Casey Mendell; and grandsons, Ken and Daniel Weeks, and Luke Creech.
In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his first wife and the mother of his children, Susie Dotson Mendell; his daughter, Lisa Mendell Harris and husband, Nathan; and grandchildren, Sueanna and Trey Harris.
