Frank Mendez Coyazo

Frank Mendez Coyazo passed away on Wednesday, March 7th, 2018, at Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda, California. A lifelong resident of Redlands, he was born on March 9, 1926, to Samuel and Encarnacion Coyazo. He attended Redlands Junior and Senior High Schools. At the age of 18, Frank enlisted in the U.S. Army, and served in the 25th Infantry Division, known as Tropic Lightning, from 1944 through 1946. He fought in the famous Battle of Luzon in the Philippines, and later served in the occupation force of Japan.

Frank was united in marriage to Maria Lydia Coyazo on April 12, 1947, and they raised four sons together. Frank was a talented pianist, performing all around the Inland Empire in a salsa band. He was a founding member of Redlands American Legion Post 650. He worked for over 30 years at the Universal Rundle plant in Mentone. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed being outdoors. He loved baseball and coached in the Redlands Youth Baseball League for many years. He and Lydia loved dogs. Frank was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Redlands.

Frank was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 68 years, Lydia, and son James, and by his mother and father, his sisters Sally Dominguez, Rita Plasencia, and Consuelo Hernandez, his brother Samuel Coyazo, and his daughter-in-law Patricia Coyazo (wife of son Steven). He is survived by his sisters Cecilia Garcia and Mary Yglesias, his brothers Jerome and Andrew Coyazo, his sons Frank II (wife Rosalie), Steven, and Joseph (wife Sheila); grandsons Joseph, Steven Jr., Matthew, and Frank III; and great-granddaughters Sarah, Leilani, Alyssa, and Ember. He is remembered by many friends and family members of the Coyazo, Rey, and Landeros families and extended family too numerous to name.
A rosary and funeral mass will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Redlands, California, on Thursday, March 22, at 9:30 am (mass at 10:00 am). Interment will follow at Riverside National Cemetery at 12:30 pm.
Funeral services under the care of Emmerson Bartlett Memorial Chapel, Redlands, California.