Raul Chavez Mendoza was born Dec. 16, 1923 in San Pedro, Arizona to Herlinda Chavez and Luis G. Mendoza. He was the eldest of four children, Raul, Celia, Luis, and Humberto and was preceded in death by all three siblings.
Raul graduated from Hayden High School in 1941 and attended The University of Arizona majoring in business.
In 1943 he was inducted into the Army Air Corps and served his country as a bombardier of B-29 airplanes. He was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1946.
Following his discharge from the service he began his chosen life long career as a businessman, opening Hayden Home Supply in downtown Hayden. Raul continued to serve the home furnishing needs of Hayden, San Pedro and neighboring communities until the time of his death on Jan. 4, 2020.
Raul was an avid golfer and family “vacations” usually revolved around golf tournaments in Globe, Safford, Douglas and Rio Rico where he was usually joined by fellow golfers and friends from Hayden and Kearny.
Raul is survived by his wife of 69 years, Sophie; children, Gloria (Pete) Rios, Raul (Lupe) Mendoza Jr., Celia and Ernestina; seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Rosary and Memorial Service for Raul Mendoza will be held Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at Mountain View Cemetery in Hayden, Arizona.