Janell Mendoza

Janell Mendoza, 59, born on February 08, 1966, in Los Angeles, CA, United States, passed away May 25, 2025. Her life was driven by fierce and unbending love, compassion, loyalty, and kindness. Janell was passionate, lively, gregarious, and deeply community-minded. She loved to chat with anybody who crossed her path, and none who knew her could deny her natural charisma and witty sense of humor. It was impossible for Janell to go anywhere within her community without running into someone who loved her. She loved to laugh, and her favorite sound was that of her family’s jubilant laughter during holidays, birthdays, or casual get-togethers. Her greatest joy was in her role as a mother, and she treated this life-long career with unyielding devotion and unconditional warmth. Her maternal love extended past her biological children and immediate family and encompassed everyone she came in contact with - neighbors, friends, and strangers alike. Her generosity and empathy were boundless, and she joyfully gave to those who needed it most. No one left her home without a listening ear, a hot meal, sage advice, and a warm embrace. Janell dedicated her life to loving others purely, completely, and unendingly. In her honor, we ask that all who knew her endeavor to do the same.

Janell is survived by her husband, James, her daughters, Taylor, Jessica, and Amanda, her sisters, Deitra, Simone, and Terri, her brothers, Michael and Andre, and her mother, Etta. She is also survived by the countless number of people whose lives she touched. She resided in Lakewood, CA at the time of her passing, and even in her final moments, she knew she was deeply and eternally loved.

“There Is No Night Without A Dawning” by Helen Steiner Rice

No winter without a spring

And beyond the dark horizon

Our hearts will once more sing ….

For those who leave us for a while

Have only gone away

Out of a restless, care worn world

Into a brighter day