- Date Of Birth: June 5, 1937
- Date Of Death: February 20, 2020
- State: Arizona
Ellis “Skip” Mendenhall of Carefree, AZ passed away at home surrounded by family and friends on February 20, 2020 at the age of 82.
Skip was born on June 5, 1937 in Riverside, CA to Ellis Lewis and Ruth (Cockerham) Mendenhall and was raised in Corona Del Mar, CA. He was a graduate of both Newport Harbor Union High School and Orange Coast College. On June 15th, 1957, he married his high school sweetheart Sally J. Keelan. He worked for the Newport Beach Fire Dept while raising 2 daughters Charis and Charneth. July 20, 1969, on the day the first man landed on moon, he moved his family to Prescott, AZ. Skip followed in his family’s footsteps, to establish and operate a successful custom home building company. Skip had a passion for the outdoors and history of the old west. He enjoyed spending his spare time hiking, camping, shooting, exploring old homesteads, abandoned mines, and traveling old jeep trails. Skip also had a wicked sense of humor. In 1985 he relocated to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and expanded his career to include commercial and residential construction and real estate sales. In 1996, he officially retired to pursue his hobby of gold prospecting and ATV trail riding with his family and friends.
The things Skip loved the most were his girls and the AZ desert.
Skip is survived by his wife of 62 years Sally, his daughter & son-in-law Charis & Michael Gulino of Scottsdale, 1 sister Louise Alton of NV, 3 nephews and 2 nieces. He was predeceased by his daughter, Charneth in 1972.
