(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) — Our amazing community is stepping up for many hurting in our community, as we have witnessed in recent weeks. One family that is mourning right now is the Mendez family. Twelve year old Oakley Mendez passed away Tuesday, October 25, 2025 due to complications with his airway during surgery. He was fighting MS, but his spirit didn’t show it. Friends and family spoke of his tender heart and joyful attitude.
As any parent would be, Antonio and Julie are devestated. No parent should have to bury their child and funeral expenses can be overwhelming. Julie posted this in response to all the requests to help.
Julie Mendez – Our family would like to say thank you for all the prayers, love, calls, and messages that we’ve received since our little man’s passing! We have tried to answer as much as we could. It is so amazing how many people Oakley touched in his brief 12 years! He was truly a force of nature! If you have any photos of him that you would like to share, please send them to us or tag us in them here on Facebook. It makes our hearts feel a little better seeing them. Many people have asked what they can do to help and honestly, right now we need donations. With his diagnosis, it was never possible to obtain life insurance for him (don’t get me started on how wrong that is) and we need some help giving him the celebration he deserves. If you are able and willing, please Venmo us. If you dont have venmo and would like to help, please message me We are also working on trying to organize some fundraisers so please watch for those coming up. We made it back to town last night and are doing some planning today to try and get Oakley home and then jetting off to be with our other boys for a couple of days. Please share this post if you are willing to and thank you for all the love. He is very missed already!
IT SEEMS THAT SOMEONE HAS CREATED A VENMO LIKE MINE AND EVEN USING MY SONS PHOTO. PLEASE private message me if you would like to donate so you and i dont get scammed** We are @Julie-Mendez97, NOT MENDEZ-MENDEZ!
Friends immediately stepped up to help with funeral expenses. Ben L Salazar organized a 50/50 raffle on November 1st at RedZ Bar & Grill.
Tomorrow during the nebraska game at redz in mitchell we will be doing a 50/50 drawing to help with funeral costs for this beautiful soul Oakley. Anyone wanting to donate plz stop by redz tomorrow . Thank you to Antonio Mendez and Julie Mendez for allowing us to be there for the family…
With the permission of Julie Mendez, I am working on putting together a silent auction for an event we are planning in honor of Tony and Julie’s son, Oakley, on November 16th. Please message me if you would like to donate an item. ~ Cari Lind
We have an amazing community! Let’s help Oakley’s family out. No one is prepared for the lose of a child. If you would like to purchase a ticket or tickets. Please stop by and get your tickets. Plus you can check out the NEW store. Thank you for your help and support of the Mendez family. ~ Big Red Nebraska Popcorn
Buy a raffle ticket, win amazing prizes, and help support the Oakley Mendez family — every ticket makes a difference! Tickets are $10 each or six for $50. Let me know if you want raffle tickets — I’ll get them filled out and entered so you’re in the running for these awesome prizes! Tickets on sale now! Please let us know if you are interested in purchasing tickets!! I have Venmo if anyone wants to purchase online. ~ Infinity A Salon
In Memory of Oakley Aaron Mendez
Oakley Aaron Mendez, age 12, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, passed away Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colorado. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, November 14, 2025, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Gering, Nebraska, with Fr. Todd Philipsen as Celebrant. Interment will follow at West Lawn Cemetery in Gering. Visitation will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Reverence Funeral Parlor in Scottsbluff. Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers, to Project Alive in Oakley’s honor.
If you’d like to make an in-person donation in memory of Oakley, an account has been established in Oakley’s name at Meridian Federal Trust in Scottsbluff. The service will be livestreamed and recorded to Oakley’s obituary page viewable at http://www.reverencefuneralparlor.com.
Oakley was born July 11, 2013, to Antonio and Julie (Kelley) Mendez in Casper, Wyoming. From the very beginning, he was a bright, fun-loving boy with an instantly captivating personality. He left a lasting impression on every person who was lucky enough to meet him, even one time. He was the center of attention, and happy about it.
Oakley was an entertainer. He had great comedic timing, and always knew how to push your buttons in a fun and loving way. The more he loved you, the more he would poke fun. Oakley probably holds a record for the most inside jokes for one person, with the most people. Anyone who met Oakley has a funny story with him that they’ll never forget.
Oakley was not only loved, but he also loved others deeply. The strongest of his love was shared with his brothers, who were his heroes and his soul mates. He and his youngest brother, Luke, were joined at the hip. They were best friends and partners-in-crime and were always looking forward to the next “racing days” at the 92 Raceway. They were constantly together and miserable when apart. His older brothers married, and brought nieces into the mix, and he adored being “Uncle Oakley”. He knew when to be tender and always gave the new babies gentle hugs and kisses.
Oakley loved his school family every bit as much. By the time he started school at Westmoor Elementary in Scottsbluff, he made fast friends with kids from all grades. He was the only kindergartener with 5th-grade girls walking him to lunch. He quickly gained the love of all “his girls” (his teachers), always last-naming them, and wanting to take them flowers. As for the male teachers, he was always up for a game of basketball! That was his first big love. He was so incredibly lucky to have all the students and staff love him, and he made many life-lasting bonds. We will always be thankful to our Westmoor family!
Oakley had many passions, and too many one-liners to count. His favorite color was red, and he was well known for his iconic red glasses. He loved basketball from the get-go because of his older brother, “Bubba” and the two of them shared a love for “bron james” and the Lakers. He loved bowling and Hot Wheels, monster trucks (especially Grave Digger), and the Jurassic Park series. He would bounce with excitement when the T-Rex showed up for the fight! He had other excellent tastes, like choosing Ironman, notably the best of the Marvel heroes, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime. He liked “spicy chips” from Qdoba, chicken-fried steak from Prime Cut “root beer-place”, and could never get enough Texas Roadhouse rolls, “peanut place”, and was always on the lookout for a way to bribe you for some donuts or a cherry Pepsi. He liked fast cars, red cars, and desperately wanted a Lamborghini. He loved music and dancing and was always the life of the party. If you asked him, every day was his birthday!
Oakley will forever be missed by his parents; brothers, Kaleb (Jenah) Julian, Adam Julian, Luke Elliott Mendez, and Jacob (Stefany) Mendez; four beautiful nieces, Aubriel, Saylor, Aurora, and Esme who he just loved so much; as well as his grandpa, Antonio Mendez Sr.; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
He was predeceased by his immediate grandparents, Cathy Maria Mendez, and Lyle and Delores Kelley.
In honor of Oakley, all guests are invited to wear his favorite color, red, purple to show support for MPS awareness, anything basketball-related, or simply come as you are.
We are so proud to call this community our home town. Let’s continue to lift one another up and help where you can. And of course, your prayers are always coveted.
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