Dan W. Mendenhall, 75, passed away at his home in Payson, surrounded by family, after a battle with cancer.
Dan was born May 14, 1949, in Payson Utah, to parents Rex Alphonzo Mendenhall and Harriett TerLouw Mendenhall. He was the second of six children in his family. In his youth, Dan loved exploring around Payson and getting into trouble with his pals. He became a talented high jumper and was the first in Utah to high jump 7 feet. He also held the high jump record at Payson High School until this spring. Later while attending BYU on scholarship, he was able to travel to many fun places with the track team, including Europe where he met with the Queen.
Dan married Colleen Christensen (Ogden) and had three kids, Joseph, Kami, and Michelle. He had three grandchildren who adored their papa. Dan later married Carol Jean Cassity and enjoyed taking her, and her children and grandchildren on adventures.
Dan was always full of energy and had many skills and talents including his ability to repair almost any machine and build almost anything with wood. He also cared for a beautiful yard and vegetable garden. If he wasn’t building something useful or working in his yard, you could usually find him at the golf course with his Mad Men golf crew.
An outdoor enthusiast, Dan loved hunting and spotting (often with his brother Scott and good friend Phil), as well as hiking in southern Utah with family and friends. He enjoyed spending time in the Fillmore mountains, Henry mountains, and on the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Some of his favorite hikes were the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, Muley twist, and Buckskin gulch. He frequently would go “nomad camping” because he didn’t want to stay in one place and had to explore as much as possible. Dan wasn’t afraid to try new things, and took up wakeboarding in his 50’s. He loved his annual trips to Lake Powell with his family and work friends for many years.
Dan was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He enjoyed serving, as demonstrated by his tremendous work in his ward’s garden which he tended to for many years. One activity that was especially impactful in his life was going with the youth on “Trek” in Wyoming.
Our beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend will be deeply missed, but we know he is in heaven enjoying endless golf and hiking without pain.
Dan is survived by his siblings, Jane (Marvin) Tuckett, Scott Mendenhall, Robert “Tuna” (Kay) Mendenhall, Lori Mendenhall Toutai, and Melanie (Traci) Mendenhall; his children Joseph Dan Mendenhall, Kami (Jesse) Swift, and Michelle Mendenhall; his grandkids, and many nieces and nephews with whom he enjoyed spending time. He is preceded in death by his parents Rex Alphonzo Mendenhall, and Harriett TerLouw Mendenhall, and sister-in-law Kris Mendenhall.
A visitation will be held Thursday morning, June 6, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 587 South 100 West, Payson, Utah 84651. Following the visitation, a graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Payson City Cemetery, 400 North 800 East, Payson, Utah 84651.
6 Condolences for Dan William Mendenhall
Condolences(6)
Adam says
June 3, 2024 at 7:35 pmMany fun times playing golf with Dan at Sunset View. He was a very good player and fun to be with. We will miss him.
Jaclyn Joseph says
June 4, 2024 at 2:17 am“Mendenhall” as my dad (Dan Joseph) would call him was such a great friend to my dad and to our family. We have been chatting on and off today about how many adventures we had with him and with his family and cool daughters!
Many of those Grand Canyon and Buckskin Gulch hikes were enjoyed so much by our family with him and his family. And many times he would beat all of us out of the hike!
I always thought Dan was such a sweet man and easy to talk to. I could tell he just enjoyed life and cared about others. He will be missed!
Michelle Mendenhall says
June 4, 2024 at 3:33 amThank you so much for this! I loved hiking with you all! Some of the best memories!
Kami says
June 3, 2024 at 8:52 pmDad, I will miss you so much. I have the most amazing memories with you, camping trips, hiking adventures, golfing, and yard work. I will miss being able to call you up when I have a question about my yard, or how to fix something. I’ll miss your ability to solve problems and fix anything. I’ll miss our camping trips, and hate that the boys will miss out on papa adventures. I love you, dad. 💙
Steve and Julie says
June 3, 2024 at 11:48 pmWe are grateful for the time we have had with Dan. Steve became good friends with Dan on the Trek and working as Dan’s sidekick at the Ward Garden. These memories are priceless and we miss Dan already. If there is a garden in heaven, Dan will definitely be the “Garden Master”
Julie Hanks Anderson says
June 10, 2024 at 4:09 amI didn’t know Dan but was best friends with Lori and Melanie! Great parents and truly loved all his family and especially Mendenhall Market!!!
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