Derek Aragon-Mendes' Obituary
Derek Aragon-Mendes was born October 28, 1963, to Celeste A. Mendes, in Los Angeles, CA. He later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he met and married Juanita Trujillo, together they had a daughter. They later divorced, and after several years he had a son who he raised as a single father. After years of playing the field and being single he met and fell in love once more with his Fiancé Amanda, with whom he had spent the last 8 years with. Derek was a devoted Friend, Fiancé, and above all a loving Son Father and Grandfather. He was fearless, strong, and he was known to be a fighter, which he was, until the very end. At the age of 60, He courageously fought his last battle against Liver Cancer, and took his last breath on the early morning of Sunday, August 18, 2024, surrounded by his loved ones in person and in spirit. Leaving us all heartbroken and with an unfillable void.
From childhood, he always had a passion for drawing, which with time evolved into a career as a Tattoo Artist. He loved listening to oldies and would do so for hours on end just getting lost in the music. He had so many hobbies and countless skills from restoring old grandfather clocks, making beautiful wooden jewelry boxes, and building model airplanes and cars. Amongst other things, he enjoyed fishing, going to new places, and trying new exotic cuisines. He loved eating and enjoyed cooking even more! You name it, he could make it! His favorite dishes to make were Italian, and boy were they amazing.
He is survived by His Mother Celeste A. Mendes, Daughter Sela Mendes Gallegos (Carlos), Son Derek Orlando Aragon-Mendes, Fiancé Amanda Miller, her children Troy, and Alisa (Triston),
Sister Koko Aragon, Brother Jesse Fernandez, 6 grandchildren: Victor, Natalia, Andrew, Emira, Tracy, and Catalina, several nieces and nephews, Extended family and many good friends.
We are sad that he is no longer here with us, yet happy he is no longer in pain. He will be missed tremendously by many dear friends, clients, and especially his family.
We would like to extend our thanks to Dr. Thota and her whole team for their great loving care and to his hospice team who supported us through this short but extremely difficult time.
We love you Always and will miss you Forever Dad, fly high in paradise and enjoy this new pain free chapter!!! I am so proud and honored to have you as my dad- Sela
Derek is preceded in death by many family members and friends.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at 4:00P.M. at Murray Park (pavilion #1)
420 E. Parkside Drive, Murray, Utah 84107
This will be a potluck, so please bring your favorite dish or snack to share
In lieu of flowers you can make donations through Venmo to: @sela-mendes (Sela Gallegos) or through
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/f5a80dee
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