Antero "Joe" Mendoza, 56, passed away on Saturday, October 23, 2021 in Pensacola, FL.

He was born on April 20, 1965 in Miami, FL, the son of Antero Mendoza and Margaret Mendoza.

Joe and his family first arrived in Pensacola in 1976. He graduated from Woodham High School in 1983 and met his wife, Diane, the following year. They married on February 21, 1986 and welcomed their first child, Anthony, that August, followed by Lauren in 1989 and Victor in 1995. In 1986, he received his Associate of the Arts degree from Pensacola Junior College in Business and utilized that in his career as an account manager for a debt collection agency. For anybody that has ever met Joe, it didn't take long to realize that his two main passions in life were his kids and athletics. In 1991, Joe managed to combine the two when he began coaching little league sports in Pace. Over the next 15 years, he coached countless teams in baseball, football, and softball. He continued to coach even after his own children had moved on to high school. In addition, Joe could be regularly seen lifting weights in the gym or jogging around Pensacola. On the weekends, he could be found rooting for his Hurricanes and Dolphins, jamming out at a rock concert, or spending time on Pensacola Beach with his family and friends. Over the years, Joe touched countless lives with his quick wit and charm. His enthusiasm, tenacity, and passion for life were infectious, and will be carried on by all those that knew him.

Joe is survived by his wife of 34 years, Diane E Mendoza; their three children, Anthony Mendoza of Pensacola, Lauren Burnham (Bradley) of Pace; Victor Mendoza of Pace; two grandchildren, Avery and Chandler Burnham; his parents, Antero Mendoza and Margaret Mendoza, and his sisters, Teresa Mendoza and Maria Mendoza.

Visitation will be 2:00pm until the Funeral Service at 3:00pm Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family has created a GoFundMe to help raise funds to assist local underprivileged children participate in youth sports. Donations can be made here: https://gofund.me/9dd1c510