MENDELL

DONALD PRATT

Donald Pratt Mendell, age 91, of Gibsonia, PA, died on November 7, 2025. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 29, 1933, to parents Helen and Arthur Mendell. He grew up in NY state, where he enjoyed close ties with extended family. Don excelled academically, skipping a school grade level and becoming a first-generation college student. With financial help from a neighbor and by working multiple jobs (including two summers at the Saratoga Springs racetrack), Don was able to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, from which he graduated in 1956 with a degree in chemical engineering.

While working in the UK, he met Ann Gregory. They were engaged within two months and married on October 15, 1960. They returned to the US, where Don's work took them and their three children all over the country - including New York, Texas, Idaho, New Jersey, and Illinois - and into Canada for ten years. Don and Ann also spent one year in the United Arab Emirates. As an engineering manager, his work involved designing and building chemical plants and oil refineries with M. W. Kellogg Company (later Kellogg Brown & Root). He and Ann moved to Pennsylvania after his retirement to be closer to his daughter's family.

Never idle, Don spent his spare time with landscaping projects and vegetable gardening. He loved the outdoors, and favorite family outings included camping, hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing. He enjoyed teaching his children how to ice skate and ride their bicycles, as well as how to play games, such as chess and pinochle. He attended church on a regular basis throughout his life, volunteering as a church officer and Sunday School teacher.

Don is survived by his sister, Jeannette Mendell; children, Sarah (John) Gilmour, Tom Mendell and Andrew Mendell; and grandchildren, Gregory Gilmour and Eleanor Grutz. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests donations to North Hills Community Outreach, Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank, or your local food bank.

A memorial service will be held at Hampton Presbyterian Church at a later date in the spring of 2026.