William G. Mehos Salida, Colorado Obituary

William G. Mehos

William G. Mehos, “Dr. Bill”, M.D. 92, of Salida, died Monday, July 25 at Columbine Manor Care Center. He was born at home in Salida on November 9, 1929 to Greek immigrant parents, Gus and Angela Trifonopoulou Mehos. Both of his parents were born and raised in Methoni, Greece before immigrating separately to Salida where they met and married. He traveled with his family back to Greece on several occasions, where he grew to know and love his relatives within that community. They certainly loved him in return. He attended Salida schools and graduated with the Salida High School Class of 1947, where he was honored to serve as class president and enjoyed serving on the student council. He loved high school sports and was proud to be one of the first two three-sport letterman at Salida High his junior year. While in high school, he enjoyed playing in the high school band and sitting as first chair trumpeter his junior and senior years. His family recalls him playing that same trumpet often in their youth. While playing football, he had aspirations of becoming a coach but said after his first day in medical school he knew he had chosen the right path in becoming a doctor. He attended the University of Colorado where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and was vice president of the fraternity his senior year. He mentioned that this was the most satisfactory office he held – he loved serving on all the committees – until he later served on the hospital board in Salida. He attended medical school at the University of Colorado and interned at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, returning to Salida for a three-month externship at what is now Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (previously known as the Denver and Rio Grande Hospital). After completing medical school, he joined Dr. Leo Leonardi in practice in Salida in 1957. Shortly after, he served in the U.S. Army for two years, earning the rank of captain and serving in the medical corps at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. He said the highlight of his career was his patients, who made medicine so rewarding. When he retired in 2003 after 46 years of service to his patients and the community he had served three generations of many families. He estimated that he delivered somewhere between 2500 and 3000 babies during that time. He especially enjoyed this aspect of his job since these were such happy occasions for the families. He was the first to be inducted into Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center’s Hall of Fame, which honors individuals who have made an enduring commitment to quality health care in the Upper Arkansas Valley and made the medical center an integral part of their lives. In the 1960s, he was among the visionaries who stepped forward to purchase the original hospital from the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and save it for the community. One of his proudest achievements was to advocate for and subsequently realize the establishment of the new hospital completed in 2008 while serving on the Board of Directors for the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC). He worked closely with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office and the Salida Golf Club to negotiate a land swap and to quickly move the agreement through the Colorado Legislature. As he stated in his own words, “we got it done!”. He served as the hospital’s Chief of Staff, was a county coroner, served on the Chaffee People’s Clinic, was a FIBArk parade Marshall, was on the Board of Directors for HRRMC and on the Foundation Board, and was a member of Salida Elks Lodge and Salida Rotary Club. In his retirement he also enjoyed playing racquet ball with friends and family, relishing in the fact that he would beat the younger folks and hoping that “they could do the same someday when they were his age.” He was an avid golfer and was proud to serve several stints as President of the Salida Golf Club. Working with the Board and members of the club, he solicited state funding to match volunteer donations, leading to the first grass fairways and later grass tee boxes that members enjoy today. He loved teaching his family to play golf, often taking his grandchildren to the driving range in hopes they would someday take up the game. He greatly enjoyed sweets, and could often be found enjoying an ice cream sundae with his grandchildren during their visits. He married the former Jo Ann Endres on June 14th in Indiana and they became the parents of three children, Greg, Melissa, and Mark. They were married 23 years until her death in 1975. He married the former Linda Hagerman in Salida and they were married 25 years prior to her death in 2017. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, his 3-year-old sister Anastasia, his spouses JoAnn (Endres) and Linda (Hagerman), and his grandson Mark Mansheim. Survivors include his children Greg (Kelly) Mehos of Westford, MA, Melissa (Tom) Mansheim of Salida, and Mark (Brenda) Mehos of Boulder, CO, grandchildren Sidney Mehos, Gabriel (Randi) Williams, Taylor (John) Sheffler, Morgan Mansheim, Carissa (Ryan) Milliken, and Alexa Mehos, great grandchildren Brandon Sheffler, Mason Sheffler, and Theodore Milliken, his brother John Mehos, his nephew and niece Constantine and Penelope Mehos, and his beloved yorkie Lilly who was his special companion in his later years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Foundation or the Ark-Valley Humane Society. Services will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Salida at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 13 with a following reception at the Salida Steam Plant. Arrangements are with Lewis and Glenn Funeral Home in Salida. Condolences may be addressed to Mark Mehos, 1080 Love Court, Boulder, CO 80303. Online condolences may be offered at lewisandglenn.com.
November 9, 1929 - July 25, 202211/09/192907/25/2022
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Obituary

William G. Mehos, “Dr. Bill”, M.D. 92, of Salida, died Monday, July 25 at Columbine Manor Care Center. He was born at home in Salida on November 9, 1929 to Greek immigrant parents, Gus and Angela Trifonopoulou Mehos. Both of his parents were born and raised in Methoni, Greece before immigrating separately to Salida where they met and married. He traveled with his family back to Greece on several occasions, where he grew to know and love his relatives within that community. They certainly loved him in return. He attended Salida schools and graduated with the Salida High School Class of 1947, where he was honored to serve as class president and enjoyed serving on the student council. He loved high school sports and was proud to be one of the first two three-sport letterman at Salida High his junior year. While in high school, he enjoyed playing in the high school band and sitting as first chair trumpeter his junior and senior years. His family recalls him playing that same trumpet often in their youth. While playing football, he had aspirations of becoming a coach but said after his first day in medical school he knew he had chosen the right path in becoming a doctor. He attended the University of Colorado where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and was vice president of the fraternity his senior year. He mentioned that this was the most satisfactory office he held – he loved serving on all the committees – until he later served on the hospital board in Salida. He attended medical school at the University of Colorado and interned at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, returning to Salida for a three-month externship at what is now Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (previously known as the Denver and Rio Grande Hospital). After completing medical school, he joined Dr. Leo Leonardi in practice in Salida in 1957. Shortly after, he served in the U.S. Army for two years, earning the rank of captain and serving in the medical corps at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. He said the highlight of his career was his patients, who made medicine so rewarding. When he retired in 2003 after 46 years of service to his patients and the community he had served three generations of many families. He estimated that he delivered somewhere between 2500 and 3000 babies during that time. He especially enjoyed this aspect of his job since these were such happy occasions for the families. He was the first to be inducted into Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center’s Hall of Fame, which honors individuals who have made an enduring commitment to quality health care in the Upper Arkansas Valley and made the medical center an integral part of their lives. In the 1960s, he was among the visionaries who stepped forward to purchase the original hospital from the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and save it for the community. One of his proudest achievements was to advocate for and subsequently realize the establishment of the new hospital completed in 2008 while serving on the Board of Directors for the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC). He worked closely with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office and the Salida Golf Club to negotiate a land swap and to quickly move the agreement through the Colorado Legislature. As he stated in his own words, “we got it done!”. He served as the hospital’s Chief of Staff, was a county coroner, served on the Chaffee People’s Clinic, was a FIBArk parade Marshall, was on the Board of Directors for HRRMC and on the Foundation Board, and was a member of Salida Elks Lodge and Salida Rotary Club. In his retirement he also enjoyed playing racquet ball with friends and family, relishing in the fact that he would beat the younger folks and hoping that “they could do the same someday when they were his age.” He was an avid golfer and was proud to serve several stints as President of the Salida Golf Club. Working with the Board and members of the club, he solicited state funding to match volunteer donations, leading to the first grass fairways and later grass tee boxes that members enjoy today. He loved teaching his family to play golf, often taking his grandchildren to the driving range in hopes they would someday take up the game. He greatly enjoyed sweets, and could often be found enjoying an ice cream sundae with his grandchildren during their visits. He married the former Jo Ann Endres on June 14th in Indiana and they became the parents of three children, Greg, Melissa, and Mark. They were married 23 years until her death in 1975. He married the former Linda Hagerman in Salida and they were married 25 years prior to her death in 2017. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, his 3-year-old sister Anastasia, his spouses JoAnn (Endres) and Linda (Hagerman), and his grandson Mark Mansheim. Survivors include his children Greg (Kelly) Mehos of Westford, MA, Melissa (Tom) Mansheim of Salida, and Mark (Brenda) Mehos of Boulder, CO, grandchildren Sidney Mehos, Gabriel (Randi) Williams, Taylor (John) Sheffler, Morgan Mansheim, Carissa (Ryan) Milliken, and Alexa Mehos, great grandchildren Brandon Sheffler, Mason Sheffler, and Theodore Milliken, his brother John Mehos, his nephew and niece Constantine and Penelope Mehos, and his beloved yorkie Lilly who was his special companion in his later years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Foundation or the Ark-Valley Humane Society. Services will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Salida at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 13 with a following reception at the Salida Steam Plant. Arrangements are with Lewis and Glenn Funeral Home in Salida. Condolences may be addressed to Mark Mehos, 1080 Love Court, Boulder, CO 80303. Online condolences may be offered at lewisandglenn.com.

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Events

Aug
13
Memorial Service
Saturday, August 13 2022
10:00 AM
Ascension Episcopal Church
349 E Sttreet
Salida, CO 81201
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