Our beloved father, Doctor Louis ‘Lou’ Phillip Rodrigues, became one of God’s angels at 12:22 a.m., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, at age 91, at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, surrounded by his loving family.

Dr. Rodrigues was born on January 8, 1934, in New York City, to his late beloved parents, Joaquim Rodrigues and Mary Milgrim Rodrigues. He had fond memories growing up on Thompson Street, in Greenwich Village, New York. He spent quite a bit of his time reading in libraries and taking long bike rides upstate. Both of his parents were photographers and artists. He too, as well as his younger sister Brenda, took a liking to art - later on painting beautiful watercolors, oil paintings and enamels. 

He went through many years of medical schooling and training to become the doctor that many knew him as, beginning with City College in New York City in 1951, where he ultimately received his Bachelor of Science in 1955. He graduated with honors in Biology Phi Betta Kappa. When it came time to go to medical school, Dr. Rodrigues was one of the first ever recipients of the Salk Scholarship, so named after the developer of the first polio vaccine, Dr. Jonas E. Salk, and given to students who would “give more attention to health, not merely disease.” In the State University of New York New York, State Medical School, he received his M.D. in 1959.

While attending Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Louis Rodrigues worked along with Dr. David Carver in the research and studies of the Rubella, as well as the development of the influenza type B vaccine with Dr. John Robbins. He was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College from 1967 to 1970. At the age of 27, Dr. Rodrigues met the love of his life and future wife, Carmen Gloria Valentin de Gonzalez, when the two locked eyes in the cafeteria at Long Island College Hospital, where they were going through medical school and nursing school, respectively. In their first conversation, Carmen Gloria mistakenly assumed he spoke Spanish ... and the rest was history as the two began a life of adventure, memories, and more than a little laughter.

Dr. Rodrigues served in the US Army as an Assistant Surgeon from 1961 to 1962 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His assignment was T.B. Chemoprophylaxis Research as well as The Peace Corps Training Center from July 1962 to June 1963 with Honorable Discharge. 

Dr. and Mrs. Rodrigues opened a pediatric practice in 1970 and spent 55 beautiful years together in the Catskill Mountains of Monticello, New York, where they worked as partners and raised their children. Over the course of more than 40 years, the pair devoted their lives to helping others and providing specialty medical services to over a thousand patients. He worked as the School Physician in Sullivan County NewYork at the Benjamin Cosor Elementary School, Fallsburgh,NY, Duggan School, White Lake, NY, Hebrew Day School ,Kiamesha, NY and the Middle School, Monticello, NY in the 1970’s through the 1980’s. He was the Medical Director at the Delaware Valley Job Corps in Callicoon from 1979 to to 1991, where he dedicated himself with compassion for his patients. Dr. Rodrigues also served on multiple advisory boards and community committees in Sullivan County over the course of his career, and continuously sought to further the medical profession as a consultant and professor. One of his most treasured roles was as Medical Director at the Center of Discovery in Sullivan County, where he worked along with Mr. Patrick Dollard. They first opened in 1979, helping children and young adults with complex developmental conditions and disabilities.

Throughout his life and career, Dr. Rodrigues saved many lives and provided specialized care to countless children. His patients and community loved him like their own father. When it came time to retire, Dr. Rodrigues didn’t want to because he just wanted to go on helping his patients live their best, healthiest lives.

Throughout the years, he made time for his children and grandchildren taking them on small vacations spending quality time with them. In God’s perfect plan, Dr. and Mrs. Rodrigues came to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to visit their daughter in 2020, and made the decision to make their stay at the coast permanent. The pair spent four beautiful years together at the beach, enjoying many moments of sunshine and sea air with those they loved, until Mrs. Rodrigues passed in 2024. In all the time since, no matter what else he had on his mind, Carmen Gloria was never far from Dr. Rodrigues’ thoughts—he loved her always.

Dr. Rodrigues is survived by his son, Louis Joaquim Rodrigues, his daughter, Linda Elizabeth Alonso Rodrigues, and her fiancé, Dana Mercer, his daughter, Judith ‘Judy’ Marie Skordinski Rodrigues, his son-in-law, Joe Guarnaccia, sister, Brenda Epstein Rodrigues, his grandchildren, Dom Luis Rodrigues, Autumn Chelsee Rodrigues, Kyle Austin Skordinski, Lexi Marie Skordinski, Brian Forrest, and Lorenzo Guarnaccia; his great-grandsons, Emilio Jay Rodrigues and Nicholas Pesola and his nephew, Peter Epstein, his wife, Heather, and their two children, Elle Kemp and Anzel Epstein. Services were held November 29 at Burroughs Funeral Home in South Carolina.

Dr. Rodrigues leaves behind many devoted friends, former patients of Sullivan County, and a large, loving extended family and community. It was truly so special to read all the beautiful comments from many of his patients, and friends before the obituary was written on how our father touched so many lives and how kind, genuine and humble he was. It was his honor, dedication and compassion to help you all. Dad will be deeply missed and never forgotten by us all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing him to serve you.