| Graduation Year | Class of 1961 |
| Date of Passing | Dec 15, 2005 |
| About | JUDITH A. MENDES BOURNE -- Judith Ann "Yellow Feather" Mendes, 62, died unexpectedly Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005, in Pocasset. Born in Wareham, she was the daughter of the late Arthur Sr. and Laura (Newcomb) Mendes. She spent most of her life in Tahanto. She was educated in Bourne and graduated from Bourne High School in 1961. She worked at Barnstable County Hospital where she started as an aide; she later became secretary for the nurses' director and then was in charge of the Outpatient Department. She graduated from Cape Cod Community College in 1974. She then attended Cornell University and graduated from Wheaton College with honors, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology concentrating on early education, and was certified to teach elementary and secondary levels. She taught psychology at Bourne High School as part of her internship for teaching certification. She took great pride in her Indian ancestry, which led to personal relationships with current and past Indian chiefs representing different Indian nations throughout the country. She was the Indian education coordinator in the Mashpee, Bourne and Falmouth schools for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, and was a former member of the Boston Indian Council board of directors. Ms. Mendes especially loved spending time with her family and took great joy in her nieces and nephews. She was a gourmet cook who could always be counted on to turn many family gatherings into true feasts. She enjoyed world travel and writing poetry. Her funeral was held at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 40 MacArthur Blvd. Burial was in the Old Indian Cemetery, Mashpee. |
