Mendez was 'Fun, Loving, and Polite'

Alan "A.J." Mendez is described as being a a fun, loving, polite, friendly, prankster on his obituary page on the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home's Web site.

Mendez "loved being outdoors and really enjoyed being with his friends," the obitary states. "BMX bike riding, skateboarding, electric guitar (heavy metal/rock), and playing XBox for hours on end were all passions of his."

Mendez, 16, was killed Sunday when a train fatally struck him and 17-year-old Fairfield resident Nick Sabina. A third youth, a 15-year-old suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Mendez, a junior at Wayne Valley High School, previously attended Randall Carter Elementary School and George Washington Middle School.

Mendez worked at Journeys Shoes at the Willowbrook Mall. Previously, he was a technician for A.V. Services in Fairfield. 

A Facebook page in Mendez's and Sabina's memory was created. Friends and family are posting their memories of the boys, including photos, on the page.

"No matter what you would do to him, he would come back at you with a smile on his face," Lauraine Prahm, a friend of Mendez said after school Monday. "He always had a smile on his face and he always made you smile. He was so sweet and genuine. He was one of my best friends."

Friends may visit with the Mendez family at Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.. 

A funeral mass will be held Saturday, Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m. at St. James R.C. Church, 31 St. James Place, in Totowa.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Red Cross, 209 Fairfield Rd., Fairfield, N.J. 07004.