Michael Mendenhall

Michael John Mendenhall, born December 26th, 1943 in San Francisco, California, the first-born child of Don and Winnie Mendenhall, passed away on November 25, 2025, at the age of 81. Mike, as he was known, grew up in a military family as his father served in the Army & Air Force from the early 1940's to 1964, when he retired from the service. This resulted in the family living in various places around the country and world - including California, Philippines, Germany, Texas and ending their travels in Tacoma, Washington. It was at that time Mike met a young lady at Clover Park High School by the name of June Schultz. They began dating and married in August of 1964. Mike and June welcomed their first son, Michael, in 1967. Then almost five years later, their second son, Craig was born in 1971. As a lifelong educator, he served as both teacher and principal for 31 years including time in the Seattle, Federal Way and Longview School Districts. He was known as an innovative teacher who thrived on finding unique learning experiences for his students. He advocated for his classroom, received permission and coordinated a roundtrip airline flight from Seattle to Canada for a field trip. He also used his interest of science and rockets to create a unit of study that culminated in students launching rockets they had built and personalized. It was through those types of learning experiences that Mike received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Federal Way School District. Mike applied for a principalship in Longview, Washington in 1975 and moved his family there to become the Principal at St. Helens Elementary School that same year. A highlight of his career was becoming the first elementary principal in Washington State to implement a year-round school calendar. He devoted many years to The Boy Scouts of American where he provided leadership and received the District Award of Merit in 1997 and later the Silver Beaver Award in 1999. He also devoted time to youth baseball serving on the board and coaching teams with his sons and other youth later in his life. After retiring from the Longview School District in 1998, Mike and June opened a learning center in town to provide tutoring for the students of their community. A few years later, they expanded by opening a learning center in Centralia. Mike lived life with a strong desire to make a difference in children's lives. He cared for his family and was always ready with sage advice and his unique form of humor. He is survived by his wife June, son Michael (Mike), daughter-in-law Katrina, six grandchildren, two great grandchildren, brothers Gary and Larry, sister Donna, several cousins, nieces and nephews, along with many former students, boy scouts and youth baseball players whose lives he touched through his dedication to education and learning. Family members proceeding him in death were his father (Don), his mother (Winnie) and his son, Craig. A service will be held on December 13 at 11:00 a.m., at Mountain View Christian Center, Ridgefield WA.