Ceramic artist Gary Roth continues to create beauty

Summer 2024

Gary Roth is an artist with both food and clay. For many years, he was a presence as the Executive Chef at the Los Altos Country Club. He loved that work because of its variety; club members enjoyed a huge range of cuisines and dishes.

After he retired from the kitchen, Gary returned to his other artistic passion. He started creating in ceramics when he was a teenager living in west LA. Modest about his work, Gary says working with clay “corresponds to the kitchen” in the way he works with his hands to shape something beautiful.

Now 70, Gary lives in Redwood City with his wife Sabine and their rescue dog Finny. He also lives with a brain tumor, and while this has slowed him down physically, it has not stopped his creativity.

Gary works in Halo Pottery Studio in Los Altos once a week, creating beautiful, partially glazed pieces in muted colors. As a wedding gift for their son, he created eight place settings of dishes, in addition to 130 small vases – one for each of the couple’s wedding guests.

Gary finds joy in continuing to make art; his vases, plates, cups, and platters fill their neat, light-filled home. “His art is so beautiful,” says Tracie Pyers, Gary’s social worker, “and it’s something really special that he’s still able to do.”

After Gary’s cancer diagnosis in November 2022 and subsequent treatment, Gary’s doctor referred them to Mission Hospice, and he started hospice care in February 2024.

Now he and Sabine are supported by his Mission Hospice team members – nurse Julie Richardson, social worker Tracie, spiritual counselor Rachel Rosenberg, home health aide Cris Pratt, and volunteer Arman Mousavi.

Cris helps Gary take showers, something that is physically difficult for Sabine. Logistical help from Mission Hospice is also very welcome. Mission Hospice has all of Gary’s medications delivered to their home as soon as they are needed. Sabine says this is a huge help, explaining, “I literally lived at Rite-Aid before!” 

Sabine says that she was initially a little scared about his entering hospice, because she wasn’t sure what to expect. But just three days after his team came on board, Gary fell at night. Sabine called Mission Hospice, thinking “what if nobody picks up?” but says the nurse was at their home in 30 minutes to help. “I’m just amazed at the care,” she says. “The whole team is so nice, and they’re really only a phone call away 24/7.”

This additional support lets Gary and Sabine make the most of their time together and with their family. They visit his mom, who lives nearby; their children and young grandchild join them regularly for family meals. 

Sabine says they are so impressed by the extra steps their team takes. For example, Gary typically uses a walker for support, but that works well only for limited distances. When the couple had a last-minute idea to go to Half Moon Bay to celebrate their anniversary, Mission Hospice arranged the loan of a wheelchair to make their trip possible.

“We feel so well taken care of by Mission Hospice,” says Sabine. “As a caregiver, I don’t feel so alone anymore.”