John F. Mehnert

John Frederic Mehnert passed from this world on December 18, 2022. Born May 29, 1931 in Oak Park, Illinois to Fred and Lucille(Sweetser) Mehnert he spent the first 17 years of his life growing up in the Chicago's Norwood Park neighborhood. A beloved only child, he grew up in a multigenerational household, with his parents, two grandmothers and great grandmother who instilled an enduring passion for both Chicago and gardening.

In 1949 he moved to Fairway, Kansas, attending the second half of his senior year at Shawnee Mission High School after which he attended Kansas City, Kansas community college then transferred to the University of Kansas becoming a devoted Jayhawk, joining the Triangle fraternity and ROTC. He earned a degree in architectural engineering and after graduation accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the US Army as a member of the Corps of Engineers. He spent the next two years improving airfields near Nome, forming lifelong friendships and a love of the 49th state.

Once out of the Army, he picked up his courtship with Millie Burch, whom he had met in North Carolina during officer training. In 1959, he travelled to Yellowstone National Park visiting Millie while she worked as a server at the Old Faithful Lodge. One year later, he and Millie married in her hometown, Kenansville, NC after which the couple moved to Kansas City's Brookside neighborhood. John started his career at the Kansas City engineering firm of Black and Veatch then went to work for the Government Services Administration and later took a job with the newly created Housing and Urban Development where he did structural evaluations of buildings both for redevelopment and new construction. He also was part of a FEMA team that evaluated structures after earthquake events. One of his greatest professional joys came after retirement, as proprietor of JM Residential, where he found pleasure helping others while evaluating structural elements of residential homes.

In 1960, John and Millie moved to Prairie Village, KS, eventually having three sons, Clayton, Jim, and Bill. The growing family settled in Overland Park, KS, where they lived until the boys graduated from college, after which they moved to Lenexa. An avid traveler, the family trekked across the country on annual summer camping vacations, often to North Carolina to visit family but also several campsites in the Rocky Mountains, and to Florida to visit Disney World. Their pop up camper, after exploring Colorado, toured much of the United States. Eventually John and Millie graduated to a 'Burro' travel trailer for their post-retirement camping adventures.

John and Millie loved travel, and in addition to camping, they signed up for many Elder Hostel educational trips in Europe, Central America, Canada, and the United States. Closer to home John found respite in northwest Arkansas near Beaver Lake where he bought several lake lots with his father in the early 1970s. Initially the family would camp in the pop-up camper on the undeveloped property, but they eventually built a geodesic dome vacation home. John and Millie spent many seasons with John's parents, their sons, friends and as a couple enjoying the lake, the woods, and surrounding towns.

John loved music, both classical and jazz, and he and Millie (a piano teacher) bought season tickets to the Kansas City symphony and enjoyed attending concerts with friends. He never failed to be amazed at the growth of his adopted hometown of Kansas City taking his family on tours of Crown Center, the new Truman sports complex, the Kansas City International airport, and Kaufman Center, all while they were being built.

John is survived by his three sons, Clayton (Monica), Jim (Julie) and Bill, and seven grandchildren Eric, Tessa, Sophia, William, Allison, Laura, and Rachel. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Lucille Mehnert, and by his wife and partner for life, Millie.

John found comfort and fellowship within the United Methodist Church, most recently Grace United Methodist Church in Olathe, KS, where he actively participated in adult Sunday school classes until mobility limitations constrained him. A memorial service is scheduled for January 07, 2023 at Grace United Methodist Church, 11485 S. Ridgeview Rd, Olathe KS at 11 am, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Grace UMC Center of Grace.




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