Louis Edward Lauritzen passed away peacefully in his sleep under the care of his family in Mariposa on March 18, 2026, after an extended illness.
He was born Jan. 28, 1947, the first of seven children to Dean and Marianna Lauritzen in San Francisco, Calif. At an early age the qualities of courage and confidence, together with an adventurous spirit, marked him as the leader of the Lauritzen children. He never shirked from his duties as “big brother” to help and protect his siblings.
From childhood he loved team sports and delighted in playing Red Rover or Capture the Flag with neighborhood kids in the G.I. housing projects where he lived in the Bay Area.
When the family moved to Mariposa in 1954, he continued to develop in sports and became an outstanding athlete. He lettered in three varsity sports in high school, set school records in basketball and captained the Grizzlies basketball and football teams. Teammates remember him as a selfless and dedicated player. Throughout high school he was a member of the student congress and was student body president his senior year. An excellent scholar, he graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1964, earning a prestigious Regents’ Scholarship to UC Berkeley.
At Cal, Louis pursued studies in political science and anthropology from 1964 to 1967. He took five years off to live in Boston and then in the bush country north of Fairbanks, Alaska, over the winter of 1968-69 and then to serve in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1971. He returned to Berkeley in 1972, obtaining his B.A. in political science. After Cal, he again joined the military and served two years with the U.S. Marines at El Toro, Calif.
During the following years Louis followed the teachings of Gandhi, living a life of simplicity, self-reliance and discipline, respecting the dignity of all forms of work. From 1973 to 1988, he lived in Los Angeles, Merced and Mariposa until his marriage to Sally Myers in 1990.
He was a devoted father to Sally’s two children. They settled in the Carson, Calif., area where he worked at a small motor company for 13 years. Sally and Louis shared a love of reading, study and reflection and enjoyed their life together, celebrating seasonal holidays with their extended families. After Sally passed away in 2019, Louis moved to Merced to be closer to family. The last three months of his life were lived in Mariposa under the care of family members.
During his earlier years growing up in Mariposa, Louis spent many days hunting and fishing with family and friends and worked summers during college for the USFS building trails near Wawona. This experience and his Alaska adventures instilled in him a lifelong love for nature and the grandeur of creation.
In the last months of life, he would sit outside at his sister’s house, listening to the noises of the wild critters who lived nearby and regularly circulated near the house. He was attuned to the sounds of their daily movement in the woods and would smilingly predict the imminent arrival of a flock of wild turkeys from their calls. The peace he felt was evident to all who visited him.
Louis will be remembered by his family and friends for his sincere compassion and interest in others, and his eclectic knowledge. He was a kind and thoughtful person, always open to engaging in metaphysical conversations in life. “Uncle Louis” was especially cherished by his many nieces and nephews whom he treated with patience and respect.
He was a lifelong seeker of truth and valued equally the transcendental Eastern religions he had studied with the Jesus he had known all his life. In his final days, he smiled many times with comfort that he was deeply loved by his family and that his long journey would soon end, returning to his faithful Creator.
Rest in peace, dear brother. You will long be remembered for the humble way you lived your life with dignity, unselfishness and determination.
The family would like to acknowledge the fine hospice care services provided by Compassionate Care of Merced.
He is survived by siblings John Lauritzen (Linda), Karen Barnett, Mary Hyatt, Robert Lauritzen (Marj), Alta Nagel (Paul) and JoAnn Thomas (Mike) and their families.
Memorial services will be held later to be announced by his family.
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