John Louis Mehlig

John Louis Mehlig
John Louis Mehlig passed away at his home in Montrose, Colorado. He was born to Raymond Burton and Juliana Hamp Mehlig in Kokomo, Indiana on August 9, 1953, and raised in northcentral Indiana farm country and the northern reaches of Michigan. He endured his youth with two older sisters and when he was nine years old finally could claim a brother. Early in his life he learned from his parents how to play the game of golf and to downhill ski, both sports became a lifelong love and made him a natural Colorado transplant.
He was a member of Kokomo’s Main Street Christian Church and attended services regularly with his family and grandparents. Lou played basketball in the church league and was a boy scout in John Hingst’s troop. His childhood was rich with an extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and plenty of cousins. With his sense of humor and outgoing personality, he developed an engaging talent for winning friends at an early age. Wherever he lived he gathered good friends who became friends for life.
Lou graduated from Kokomo High School (1971) and from Indiana University with a political science major in 1975. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity at I.U. He studied law at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis School of Law (IUPUI) and graduated in 1977.
He practiced law in Michigan before moving to Colorado to Lyons and Steamboat and then Montrose in 1986. He married Troy DeJulio in 1988. They raised two daughters Ashley and Alana. Lou practiced law privately and later worked for the State of Colorado as an assistant DA in Montrose and surrounding counties.
Besides skiing and golf, Lou was an avid hunter, gun collector, fisherman, and lover of the beautiful Colorado and Utah great outdoors. He loved the music of the 1960s and 70s, and was interested in the quality of sound produced by various media. Lou also enjoyed being a member of the Montrose Elks Lodge for 30 years. Most of all, he loved his family fiercely and used his legal skills and intelligence to advocate for them.
For the last ten years Lou and his life partner Lissette Riviere shared many happy memories, trips and sunsets together. His enthusiasm and love for his grandchildren was wonderful. He called himself Opa Lou and delighted in being with his little ones. Lou’s life was too short, but though it lacked in length, he loved and lived more than most people. He never did anything half way.
Lou is predeceased by his parents and survived by his step-daughter Ashley Roberts and family, Alana and Jerad David, grandchildren, sisters Andrea Mehlig Goodheim (Boulder) and Dorothy Mehlig Apple (Danville, KY) and younger brother Karl Hamp Mehlig (Lansing, MI) and their families, life partner Lissette Riviere, many nieces and nephews, uncle and aunt David and Cynthia Hamp, and many cousins.
There will be a celebration of Lou’s life on Friday, October 20 at 10:00 A.M. at Montrose Christian Church, 2351 Sunnyside Road, Montrose, CO 81401. There will be a reception at the Montrose Elks Lodge following the service.
Donations in his memory can be made to Partners of Delta, Montrose & Ouray Youth Mentoring 315 S. 7th St. Montrose, Co. 81401