Louis, or Louie as friends and family knew him by, was born in Eureka in 1949. After a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, he passed away in the arms of his loving wife, Judi on July 10, 2018.

Louie did what many others only wish they could do in life by truly loving his work. Dairy farming was in his heart, head and spirit. He said, “I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I would do exactly the same thing!” At only four years old he started milking cows. At the age of 16 he bought his own herd. Louie operated the family dairy alongside his father, and later with his wife and children. He showed beef while in FFA and became a member of the dairy judging team. He found joy in mentoring younger farmers and sharing his extensive knowledge of the do’s and don’ts of the dairy business – whether they wanted to learn it or not!

Louie was too fun loving to let work dominate his growing up years. He loved playing with his cousins, Mark and Ross. It seems cow-pie fights were the best form of entertainment! In his teen years he could be found riding his horse on the beach – that is until cars became his preferred means of transportation. Louie bragged about meeting his wife while cruising in Eureka and remarked how those were the days of innocence and no worries. Judi recalls him hanging out the window of his buddy’s car, with that winning smile and sweet talk, convincing her to meet up for a pizza. They married a year and a half later and were blessed with a life full of love and laughter for 47 years – and five wonderful children.

After that his love of hot rods became more “talk” than “go,” until later years when he loved riding his motorcycle either solo or with his wife and friends. Louie also enjoyed bicycling, lunch with long-time friends Darrel, Bob, and Paul, visits with one of his oldest friends Clifford, milkshake runs with Tim, the daily phone calls with Gary catching up on the latest gossip, Sunday night family dinners, and anything chocolate. His outgoing personality came through as he enjoyed talking, joking, laughing, and exchanging information with whomever was at hand – whether with family, friends, or total strangers. But above all, it was his family, his passion for the land and his animals, and operating the dairy that gave him the greatest joy and satisfaction in life.

Louie is survived by his wife, Judi; children Tina (Mike) Fasano of Rohnert Park; Brian (Celina) Ferreira of McKinleyville, Eric (Jessica) Ferreira of Sacramento, and Darin Ferreira of Arcata. He leaves six grandchildren – Shelbi, Ryan and Tauni Fasano; Cecelia and Bria Ferreira, and Brandon Ferreira. He is also survived by his sister, Vivian (Archie) Day, brother-in-law Bill Ivy, his Aunt Gloria Manezes, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and his wife’s brothers Bob (Vicki) McCutchen, Larry (Janeth) McCutchen, and Russell (Linda) McCutchen. He is preceded in death by his son Derrick Ferreira, father Louis Ferreira, mother Elizabeth Ferreira, sister Elizabeth Ivy, and his wife’s parents Robert and Catherine McCutchen.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Long Le and the staff of St Joseph Hospital. Services will be held on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at St Mary’s Church in Arcata with a celebration of life to follow the service.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Louie’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.