Obituary: Jerome Marvin (Jerry) Mendel
Jerome Marvin (Jerry) Mendel died Aug. 10, 2020.
Jerome Marvin (Jerry) Mendel, 91, died Aug. 10, 2020, at Northside Hospital after a courageous attempt to overcome acute promyelocytic leukemia. This illness was the first time he had ever spent a night in a hospital.
Jerry was born Oct. 22, 1928, to Simon and Dorothy Mendel, of blessed memory, and raised on Springdale Road in the Druid Hills area. He graduated from Boys High School and the University of Georgia, where he was a proud member of Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. After graduation, he joined the management teams at H. Mendel & Co. in the wholesale dry goods business and Majestic Manufacturing Company in the ladies’ dress business.
Later Jerry and his brother Don, of blessed memory, formed Mendel Distributing Company in the wholesale carpet business. After he and his brother sold that business, instead of being content to retire and travel, Jerry decided at age 56 to become licensed as a commercial real estate broker and thoroughly enjoyed a successful 35-year career, primarily with AFCO Realty. Those were some of the happiest professional years of his life and he begrudgingly retired from the business just last year.
Jerry was a lifelong member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue and also enjoyed a lengthy membership in Rotary. He proudly served during and after the Korean War as a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserves. He always looked forward to his Wednesday night poker games with his buddies, but hated regularly winning their hard-earned money. Always optimistic, every season was going to be THE championship one for his Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves, and a couple of times he was actually right.
Jerry is survived by his loving wife Joanne, with whom he had a remarkable love affair for over 69 wonderful years. Also surviving are his four children and their spouses, Richard and Muriel Mendel, Howard Mendel, Karen and Michael Saul, and Larry and Caki Mendel; brother and sister-in-law Herb and Marsha Mendel; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Marvin and Natalie Harris; and many nieces, nephews and cousins, all of whom were special to him. Poppy will also be fondly remembered by his 11 grandchildren: Jarrod and Greer Mendel, Matt and Rebecca Mendel, Jennifer and Tripp Sheldon, Ryan and Dori Mendel, Erin and Andrew Coren, Julie and Craig Habif, Amy and Jason Mollengarden, Joseph and Heather Saul, Bradley Mendel, Stacey Mendel, Jason Mendel and fiancée Madison Connell; and 10 great-grandchildren. He will be remembered for his positive outlook, dry wit, love of family, enjoyment of good food, cooking with Joanne, and being admired for his gentlemanly approach to life. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
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