'The perfect soccer dad.' Family, community mourn the death of Gregori, Ajax coach.

Luke Molthen will be remembered as "the perfect soccer dad," a staunch supporter of his daughters, an active soccer coach, and a regular along the sidelines at the Mary Grogan Community Park.

Molthen died Tuesday morning of a heart attack. His death left a family in mourning, devastated the Gregori High School soccer program, and stunned the broader soccer community.

Molthen was 50 and is survived by four daughters -- Katie (18) and Faith (20) Molthen, Amanda Stone (29) and Elizabeth Laws (31) -- and his wife, Sallie Molthen.

"No matter when Luke came into your life there is no doubt he made some sort of long-lasting impact," read a tribute written by the family. "He was the most loving, thoughtful, and hardworking man you could have ever met. ... He truly cared about the well-being of others and making sure they were taken care of. Nothing made him happier than being a part of his children and grandchildren's lives. He never missed an opportunity to help or coach when it came to sports."

Molthen was leaving the In-Shape Health Club on Sisk Road when the attack occurred. He had no prior history of heart illness. Sallie found him parked on the roadside unconscious. She said paramedics worked to revive his heart for 50 minutes, "but his heart did nothing."

A rosary is set for Wednesday, Jan. 31, at Franklin & Downs Funeral Home on McHenry Avenue at 6 p.m. A mass will be held Thursday at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church on J Street at 10 a.m.

Molthen was an assistant coach with Modesto Ajax, the competitive arm of the Modesto Youth Soccer Association, and the varsity girls soccer program at Gregori High, a regular contender in the Modesto Metro Conference. His daughter Katie is a four-year starter for Jaguars head coach Mike Catzalco, whose career began while Molthen's other daughter, Faith, was still in the program.

"It's been a rough three days for us, obviously," Catzalco said. "When I told the girls, we all cried and there was a lot of emotion and a lot of shock. Many of the girls have known Katie for years through (competitive) leagues and have known the family. We felt bad for (Katie) and bad for her family, too, because we all knew them. It was a very emotional moment for us."

News of his death came just hours before the Jaguars' scheduled kickoff with crosstown rival Enochs. The two teams were tied atop the Modesto Metro Conference standings at 5-0 heading into Thursday's matches.

Athletic directors Jim Davis (Gregori) and Randy Rubio (Enochs) moved the game to Friday afternoon at Gregori. Kickoff is at 3:30.

"I could tell the girls weren't in a good emotional state to play that game," Catzalco said. "I certainly wasn't able to coach effectively, so we decided to cancel it."

Catzalco returned to the sidelines at Gregori this winter at Molthen's behest. The sixth-year coach was going to retire after last season, but received a text from Molthen, a first-year assistant, that pulled him back into the fray.

Catzalco said the two were kindred spirits, in the soccer sense, both in their early 50s with a passion for the beautiful game.

"Last year was going to be my last year," Catzalco said. "He texted me when he found out and said, 'Stay one more year and I'll come help you.' I rethought it. There are several girls that have been on my team for four years and I thought we could leave together. When he texted, I accepted because I knew he was a caring man. From the outset, you could tell he really cared for the kids and they were comfortable with him. He became a part of our family."

Molthen, an experienced competitive coach with Modesto Ajax, was in charge of setting the Jaguars' lineups, because, as Catzalco described, "he had a way of putting the right combinations together."

Catzalco said the school provided the soccer program counseling Wednesday to help with the grieving. The team returned to practice Wednesday, but only for a short time.

Katie Molthen returned to school Thursday. She did not practice Wednesday, but Catzalco expects her to play in Friday's showdown with Enochs.

"I haven't spoken to her yet, but someone told me she's carrying her soccer bag around," Catzalco said. "One of the things that was stressed to the kids in counseling (Wednesday) was getting back on the field is the first step in the healing process. They're going to grieve and mourn his loss, and it's still going to be really emotional, but we had a practice (Wednesday). I wanted them to get back into a routine and find support among each other, but also to get their lives back on track. To try and find some normalcy."

Central Catholic girls soccer coach Kico Monares has coached two of Molthen's daughters, Faith and Katie, with Ajax. He knows the family well and will miss Molthen's presence on the sidelines.

"The Molthen family have been tremendous supporters in Ajax and have been involved in every aspect as parents," Monares said. "Luke was such a great father and mentor to his daughters and put them first and did what was best for them no matter the differences.

"Luke Molthen will be missed among the soccer community and forever will be remembered as a great coach, husband, father and supporter. Luke was the true definition of the perfect soccer dad."

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 12:48 PM with the headline "'The perfect soccer dad.' Family, community mourn the death of Gregori, Ajax coach.."