Louis "Louie" Rothstein

Louis "Louie" Rothstein, 84, of Salinas, passed away peacefully on December 20, 2025. Born on August 26, 1941, in Watsonville, California, Louie was the second of three children to Leonard and Beulah Rothstein, along with older sister Audrey and younger brother Bill.
Louie graduated from Monterey High School in 1959, after leaving Keats, Kansas, where the family had resided for several years. After school, Louie joined the U.S. Navy from 1960-1966 serving aboard the USS Carter Hall in Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Blockade.
In 1966, after leaving the Navy, he met and married the love of his life, Mary Alice Doner, from Salinas, California, where they settled and raised their two sons, Nick and Doug. Louie and Mary shared 59 years of marriage, filled with travel, fishing, music, and countless evenings cheering on the San Francisco Giants. His sons recall his endless patience in teaching them how to ride bikes, fish, or play baseball. Weekends were filled with family and friends, and numerous trips to Lake San Antonio or Reno, where Louie was always the life of the party.
He was also a member of American Legion Post 31, a past president of Native Sons of the Golden West (Santa Lucia Parlor), and a volunteer at St. Vincent DePaul.
Louie is survived by his wife Mary; his children, Nick (Julia) Rothstein of Mannheim, Germany, and Doug Rothstein of Salinas, California; grandchildren Amanda, June, and Ruby; and brother Bill. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Madonna Del Sasso Church, 320 E. Laurel Dr. Salinas, Ca. 93906. 1:00p.m. Tuesday, January 13, 2026. He will be interred at Central Coast Veteran's Cemetery in Fort Ord, California, with Color Guard provided by American Legion Post 31. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to St. Vincent De Paul Society, c/o Madonna Del Sasso Church, 320 E. Laurel Dr., Salinas, California 93906.