Louis R. Menendez

LOUIS R. MENENDEZ 1923-2011 Louis R. Menendez, loving husband and patriarch to four generations, passed away on June 6, 2011, at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. He was 88 year old. His parents, Luis Chavez Menendez and Julia Reta Menendez, emigrated from Spain at the turn of the century and later settled in Monterey. Louis was born on March 23, 1923, on Larkin Street. The Menendez family has been life-long residents of the Monterey Peninsula for nearly a hundred years. His father came from a family of shipwrights in Galicia, Spain. His father designed innovations for commercial fishing boats. Some of these innovations were adapted and used by local commercial fishermen. As part of a second-generation Monterey fishing family, from a young age Louis crewed with his father and friends fishing the waters of Washington, Oregon, and California. In the late 1940?s, alone with his father, he would travel in their small fishing boat from Monterey to fish in Mexico. In the early 1950?s, he travelled with Monterey fishermen to harvest red salmon in Naknek, Alaska. In his twenties, as the fishing industry was changing, Louis successfully converted his father?s fishing boat to a different design that netted more fish and revenue. Louis attended Bay View Elementary School and graduated from Monterey Union High School with the class of 1939. He lettered in several sports, excelled in academics and remained immensely proud of his alma mater throughout his life. He was very popular among his friends and fellow students and the friends of his youth remained his friends for life. In 1948, he married the very lovely Dolores L. Garcia at San Angela?s Church in Pacific Grove, California. They started their new life together with other young couples at the Palma Apartments on Van Buren Street in Monterey. In the early 1950?s, shortly after the birth of his second son Jim, he bought the Chatterbox, a magazine and tobacco store on lower Alvarado Street frequented by friends and still remembered by many. Shortly thereafter, with business partner and friend Horace Cardinale, he bought a larger business on Alvarado Street. Though technically named the ?Smoke Shop? it soon became known to all as ?Louie?s.? It became a popular hangout for young men who played pool in the front area and local businessman and friends who played cards in the back. Today there are few who knew the Lower Alvarado Street of the 1950?s - who do not remember ?Louie?s.? As time passed, in addition to the Smoke Shop, he owned and operated several other businesses, often at the same time, including the Morning Glory Sandwich Company, Dino?s Pizzeria, a distributorship for various San Francisco, Sacramento, and Oakland newspapers, and a U. S. Airmail contract. With the experience and reputation gained by many years in business, with his partner and cousin George A. Reta, Louis established the Golden Tee Restaurant in 1966 at the Monterey Peninsula Airport. The Golden Tee Restaurant brought forth the ?true? tastes of Monterey Bay. The fresh local sand dabs, calamari, and abalone sandwiches operated as a gastronomic beacon for visitors and locals to the Monterey Airport. Celebrities, dignitaries and locals alike came to the Golden Tee Restaurant for his friendship and counsel. Over the decades the Golden Tee Restaurant was established as one of the best seafood restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula. A man of tremendous integrity and business sense, he retired from the Golden Tee Restaurant after many years, but remained a valued and trusted advisor to all. He was an active member of local civic and charitable organizations including the San Carlos Catholic Cathedral, the Monterey Elk?s Lodge, the Knights of Columbus, the Italian Catholic Federation, and the Loyal Order of the Moose. For anyone who shared a moment in his life, it was obvious that his greatest love and joy was for his wife Dolores and his five children, Louis J. Menendez, Juneau, Alaska, James W. Menendez (Olga), Monterey, California, Julia A. Menendez, Monterey, California, Suzanne Menendez-Herbst (Mark), Monterey, California, and Kristine M. Wright (Brad), Salinas, California. He also leaves nine adoring grandchildren, Pilar, Andre, Brittney, Mark, Spencer, Anya, Lucas, Maria, and Lauren, and four great grand children. He also leaves his stepsister Theresa M. Sollazzo, Paso Robles, California. He had no greater devotion than to his family The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Walter Holz and Dr. Michael Galloway for their caring and kindness to our father. Friends may go to www.missionmortuary.com to sign the online guestbook and leave messages for the family. Contributions may be made to the charity of the donor?s choice. Our father was a great and wonderful man; a man of honor, integrity, and love. A man of tremendous inner truths. His family was his life and his life was his family. We miss you and love you forever.