I didn’t know Tom well, but every time I saw him he was the life of the party and the fire in the room.
When I taught a workshop at LCC, he welcomed me so graciously into the studios and when I hosted First Friday Art Walks where his work was showing, he livened up the crowd like no other artist, talking about his work and life in a way that was authentic and engaging!
It’s just too soon for him to be gone. God’s speed to his family and friends as they navigate this new world without Tom.
Showcase this past year was sure a lot less fun without Tom’s high intensity cooking demo. Each years his alioli became our potters’ communion as we each partook of his garlicky concoctions. Tom shared so much info and enthusiasm for pottery and Life each time I had a chance to yak with him.
My heart goes out to you, Kathryn.
Cynthia
My sympathies go out to Kathryn, and to all who knew him. Tom was an example to all of us on how to live life to the fullest. His sense of humor, his generous spirit, and his beautiful pottery were remarkable in this world. I can’t believe that he is gone.
What!? Tom Rohr? Moved on to the next plane of existence? But…
Thomas is an amazing, irrepressible soul – his physical presence will be achingly missed by those of us still here. What an incredible persona; Mr. “Yes!”. Generous beyond belief, caring above reason, Lover of everything. Exuding talent and excitement from every pore, taking in all that life has to offer with each and every breath. Thank you, Thomas Rohr, for gracing my life with your Self – what an incredible gift you are!
Tom will forever live on in my mind and heart as a source of encouragement, support and example. Setting a tone of what can be done, living fearlessly and taking art to the next level. His energy will be available to us all from realms beyond.
Dear Kathyrn the ache in your heart must be inconsolable; I will keep you in my prayers.
Kathryn, I am so sorry for your loss. There are really no words that can describe the shock and sadness at Tom’s passing. He was a joy to be around and an inspiration as as and person and as an artist. His smile, wit and wisdom will be missed but his spirit endures.
To my Dear Godmother Ann, to all my cousins’ Rohr, and of course to Kathryn – My heart breaks fully for you now and I am at a loss for words. May God send you the seemingly impossible amount of strength you will need today, tomorrow, and all the days ahead, and may angels carry you through life till peace of mind finds it’s way back to your body and souls where it most rightly belongs.
With candle lighted I am with you all in spirit ~
Much love from Annie, and all my siblings, O’Neill.
Kathryn, I am so sorry for your loss and my deepest sympathies are with you and with Tom’s family at this difficult time. It’s very hard for those left behind to understand the workings of the Universe.
Sometimes a person’s light and intensity is so bright that it’s too much for a mere physical bodily vessel to hold bound up for too long. Perhaps that is why Tom had to leaves us so early. As many have said: his joie de vivre, fun loving nature, generosity, wit, creativity, largeness of spirit and soulfulness are some of the qualities that express what I saw in him. I always enjoyed my interactions with Tom and appreciated what he was doing and contributing to our community. He gave us so much and I’ll treasure the memories I have of Tom. Remembering him will most likely make me chuckle. I will miss him greatly.
Kathryn – I’m so sorry for your loss. It is a loss for all of us and the biggest for you and his family. I’m giving you a big long distance hug right now and wish I could be there with you. You know my spirit is there through my sister, Lisa. Snuggle up with those dogs and take all the love you can get from his spirit in them. I love you. – Koos
Dear Kathryn, Cary was just looking at your work at Red Star Studios in Kansas City this afternoon and wondering how you are. We just came across the news of Tom’s heart attack by accident. What a shock. You have our deepest sympathy and we will be thinking of you in the days ahead. Love, Mo Dickens and Cary Esser
Dear Kathryn,
Please know you have been on my mind since I heard about Tom. My heart cries for you. He is missed greatly by all. The whole world lost a great spirit. I’m deeply sorry for your loss.
Don
Dear kathryn,
I’ll never forget those great demo he gave at Showcase, I remember him making his “donut” platters with such natural flow and a personality to match, I loved his enthusiasm and sense of humor. Although he didn’t know who the heck I was, because of his personable nature on stage, it’s as if I had met him.
I am sad that he is no longer here and that I won’t be able to get a “donut” platter…
the answer may have always been yes, but it never ended at yes. there was no simple answer to anything, it usually ended up being a 5 minute demo that lasted for 30. tom made you work for that “yes” it was never handed out. always a lesson learned.
i feel truely blessed to have had him as my instructor the last two years. i wouldnt be the artist or person i am now without him.
he will be sorely missed
my heart go out to you kathryn
Tom…, such a great friend. And mentor. Such a great everything! He inspired me in so many ways. I always looked up to him as someone I wish I could be lucky enough to be like. A level unobtainable! I knew how blessed I was just to know him! Tom knew how to light fires, not just in a kiln or a barbecue, but in our hearts. Thank you Tom. You will be loved and missed always.
Tom was a special man… A wonderful Potter & bright light. He was also one of the best dancers ever. He will be sorely missed by the whole ceramicv communtity. Much love to Kathryn & may she cary on in
peace.
Tom will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him. A great potter & bright light, he was also the best dancer I’ve danced with in years. May his spirit con tinue to dance in us. & Kathryn may you go forward in peace, knowing that you are well loved in this community.
Lively, outgoing, fantastic, loving, caring, funny, intelligent – Tom was the most influential professor I ever had, not to mention the kindest. His words were always well placed and his effort outstanding. He is already greatly missed and will be for all of existence. To throw pots without his tips, and to chat without his compassion will be forever missed in my heart. Tom truly was the most outstanding potter I have ever met, in more ways than one and his sincerity towards art was abundant. Tom, we miss you buddy and I hope you will bless us all with your presence as soon as Cone 12 goes down as well as when you feel fit.
Dear Kathryn,
Our hearts go out to you. Tom’s passing was a great shock and a terrible loss to our entire pottery community. He lived fully, but not nearly long enough. I’m constantly relearning the lesson to appreciate the good things in my life, and this sad event reminds me to hold on a little tighter.
Fire was in Tom’s heart. It fueled his indefatigable energy, his warmth and unfailing commitment to people and to the projects he undertook. He revered it as Promethean technology, as part of the mystery of humanity, as an element that propelled us into civilizations, that transforms the quality of our lives by heating our bodies, cooking our food and making our goods durable, lasting. He knew it brought us together and, in tending the campfire, he worked, built and ate in the spirit of a caveman, resolutely, primitively — with his hands. Yet, at the same time, he fully embodied the reconciliation of such primal, haptic knowledge with remarkable business acumen, intellectual alacrity, worldly sophistication, artistic prowess and master craftsmanship. There were all kinds of apparent contradictions that this man seamlessly, effortlessly resolved; he had a desire to take life in and the rare innate ability to bring it all harmoniously together.
Tom shared his love of the tactile and his knowledge of the body, his grounding in his own body, with us through his work. He offered playful avenues into the flesh, like the pleasure points, for example, hidden under some of his tumblers. They are nipples of sorts that as spectators we see only furtively, as a bottom goes up when someone else takes a drink. Should we be the drinker ourselves, our finger might discretely graze the little bump as we hold the vessel lee. We have been jocularly turned by this potter into peeping Toms, and he was responsible for setting off erotic charges in our hands. But this clandestine feature also takes us deep into our somatic condition, allowing us subtly, almost subliminally to revel in the history and nourishment of our bodies. It returns us to the teat in celebration of the cup as the simple reincarnation of the mother’s breast. There, in drinking from Tom’s vessel, is the experience, the delight — and the gift — of the very first sup.
I love his cruets, his pitchers. They pour magically. His plates turn dinner into ritual. While Rohr plates were fairly hard to come by in recent years, the tumblers kept tumbling effortlessly into my life, generation after generation of them, at the slightest opportunity and in numbers — until the other day. It is the form of his that I have lived most closely with, that has served rivers of liquids rather than mere gallons to my body, the form that I understandably find impossible to separate ourselves from. Most of the early ones have succumbed from good, hard use, from water too hot or a slip of the hand. They have gone to rest outside in a garden under a stand of bamboo. Positioned at odd angles, their bottoms finally unabashedly turned upward in a surround of dried leaves, they are to me like settled headstones in an old, old unkempt graveyard. Now, with Tom gone, they have become my own private memorial to him.
Luckily, a few vintage tumblers remain at my table, but the newest and the last express another dimension of Tom’s way of being in the world. It is also not hard to see them as a remark on the vulnerability of his body, or as prescience of his passing even. These tumblers are bigger than the ones that came before, just as Tom was so remarkably expansive, inclusive and unparalleled in both his generosity and ability to invigorate a community, a classroom. What is most poignant about them, though, is created by crimps he put into their sides: when we look down into the cup as we set to swallow, the walls of the vessel form the outline of a heart.
He was all heart, all the time. To be in friendship with him was to connect at those places where there was something to be loved in common. We connected with him at the heart. We loved food together with Tom. We loved work with him. He taught us how to love pots, or, if we already had some affinity, we learned to love them more. In his company we lived simply and we loved life richly. In his absence we cherish the gift of his example all the more, and we give our love to Kathryn, who must endure the greatest loss among us all.
So, here’s my Tom story:
Before moving to Oregon I had fallen for pottery and decided to pursue it in school. While trying to figure out where to move next I came across the pots of a mister Tom Rohr. At that point in my pottery education I didn’t know quite what I was looking for but upon seeing those pots there was a connection made that drew me in and made Eugene more and more appealing. It isn’t easily described. Something in their strong straightforward simplicity. Their grace and ease. I must have been mesmerized. So on a visit to Eugene in the summer I stopped in to LCC. The rooms were dark and empty. It was the beginning of Tom’s time there. Those empty rooms didn’t say much about the program. But there I found a light on, Tom in his office. So we sat down and bang, Tom came at me with all his bursting exuberance and plans for the program. What he wanted to create in those empty rooms. It was exciting. It was also the first of the many lectures I was lucky to receive, lasting maybe an hour while I spoke little.
He was a man of many words and I’m trying to remember some of them now. I feel that with his passing it is in those words that I’ll find Tom again when I’m evaluating my work, doing our work at LCC or perhaps talking to my own future students. I feel like he’ll be here in so many ways that now seem hard to imagine. One thing in particular that he said stands out. We were doing some labor together and I was trying to figure my life out, what path leads to success. And he told me that one can’t possibly know what path to take, that life will take you there. You just need to work and follow it. Only once you’ve arrived will you know what led you there. Now I, as so many of us do, look back and marvel at the great good fortune that life brought me/us Tom. And further, that Tom brought us each other, the great web of friends that surrounded Tom that he so freely shared.
One more story: The night of the 2008 election I wanted to watch the returns glued to a TV and suggested that most other people would want that too, so perhaps we should close the studio early for the night. Tom understood and told me to go, but that he would stay and close up. He explained that he saw the studio at LCC as a place where people could connect with each other in such times of intense emotion, and connect those feelings with their work. He said that on 9/11 the only place he wanted to be was working in his studio, making sense of what happened through working with his hands. As I try to figure out where to go from here I remember that, that Tom’s commitment to goodness and generosity and authenticity was born out in his work, made real in this world so we could all benefit. That’s why Tom isn’t going anywhere soon, why I’ll hear his voice amidst my own and see his hands in the work he left behind.
Larger than life
Kathryn
when he spoke of you and the dream you shared anyone listening heard sincere love and joy
-above the passion he had for clay…and that is a lot of passion!
Grieving for you
the days are not real now and my words can’t mean anything to you. your smile is strong in my minds eye
I will keep it and believe in your spirit.
Wishing peace to your soul and all the time
Sincerely with love, Katie
Tom brought people together. He had a way of making everyone feel welcomed and included. His enthusiasm for life, people, and clay created an atmosphere that fostered collaboration and growth.
Tom was a great teacher and mentor. His willingness to extend himself made his students want to reach higher and push their limits. He brought experienced clay artists in touch with beginners in a natural, nurturing way that left both feeling better for the experience.
Tom made wonderful pots, great coffee, and good conversation. He always promoted his wife Katheryn’s virtues and career before his own. He will be sorely missed by his friends, his colleagues, and his community.
Tom was an amazing guy, a force of nature. I don’t think that I have ever met anyone with such passion for so many things. Pottery of course. But also food, music, sports, movies, and on and on. Whatever Tom engaged in he embraced with amazing intensity. He was incredibly open to new things and other people—after first meeting him and talking with him, I felt like I had known him for ages. Like so many others, I will miss him deeply. But I also am thankful that I received so much in the short time that I knew him. I know that his memory will remain vivid, that his zest for life, his hospitality, his unquenchable desire to learn, and his positive outlook on everything (even the Lions) will always inspire me.
Tom made a big impression on me in two ways; the great warmth of his personality, and the great beauty of his pottery. Several years ago, on the day we met, I was immediately struck by how bright and quick he was. He was so outgoing and friendly and smart and fun. Tom was a remarkably accomplished potter; one of the handful of really great ones! A little bit of Tom lives on in every one of the exquisite pots he created, and for that we should all be grateful. He was a potter’s potter, and a wonderful man. I am saddened by his passing. My deepest condolences to Kathryn.
Heavy Rocks
Balls thrown far
Hawaiian shirts
Stinky tape
Grilled halibut
Blue terry cloth robe
Bubble wrap
Bare feet
Packing pots
Paella
Art-bars
Clay pencils
Strong coffee in cone shaped funnel
Unpacking pot
Yes, sure, why not!
That’s right
Hot water
Cold water
Blackberries
Wood stoves
Rubber on clay
Transplants
Painted walls
Bright lights
Sure
Unpacking pots
I will miss you
tom’s name never once came up in conversation without my injecting what an excellent amazing deep and wonderful human being he was/is. to think of him brings up in me a deep soul urge to allow all of me to pour out, to be, to express, to learn. i wish i had been a student of toms, and i am so grateful that he devoted so much of his life to giving in that way. he continues to inspire me, and always will, and i strive to be more like him all the time. he is my example when i feel stagnant in my work. he is life in my pots. i feel so lucky that i bought some of his pots, and they have always been displayed in my living space, and i have them to hold and use. kathryn i am thinking of you so much these days and send love and strength and hope your way.
For five days straight, I have laughed and cried endlessly while being flooded with Tom Rohr memories. Kathryn, while I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, I wish desperately that I could be there tomorrow, to hug you, and to join you all in celebrating the truly amazing life of Tom.
He called me Doctor Baines. I called him Tommy. Not sure why he bestowed upon me the honorary degree. Always amusing to me when others, hearing Tom, would also call me that. I called him Tommy, I think because he was like my little brother, who seemed also to be my elder.
We had fun no matter what we were doing, like kids. Work or play with Tommy, was not much different. Lucky me.
I’ve read comments from so many people and have spoken with so many people in recent days and it’s amazing how universal our feelings are for him . We all got the goodness! Whether you’ve known him for only a few moments, or decades, Tom made a strong, positive impression.
We’d started an orchard project recently. We were going to raise truffles together on his back acreage – we were planting oaks. Thinking long term. The project was exciting for many reasons, but for me, mostly because it meant I would be tied to Tom in work and play for years and years to come. Oak trees. “Strap yourself to the tree with roots.”
I’ve had a decade of the greatest friendship, met the most wonderful people, worked, played and learned so much. He was such a gift.
We circle around Kathryn now, bouncing back to her the love and generosity that Tom gave to us all.
Like hundreds of other, I had the great, good fortune to have been a student of Tom’s. He infused the LCC studio with his big personality and philosophy. He asked and expected each student to think kindly of each others intentions, respect each other and respect the work, teach each other, learn from each other, develop quality craftmanship, explore, create, solve problems, make good decisions, develop connections, do a little more than your fair share, and, remember the love. Tom’s personality set the tone and atmosphere and created a place of striving with joy, passion, and community.
The generosity and exuberance that I daily marveled at in the studio was the very essence that he brought to all his friendships and the community that he created. Amongst many of the teachings that he shared, he told me that, in this world, there are givers and there are takers. Tom, of course, was a giver extrodinaire!!
My heart is filled with gratitude for the ways Tom touched my life with his encouragement, knowledge, challenges, and friendship. Let all our hearts be filled with gratitude that we have had the opportunity to have had Tom Rohr touch our lives with his generosity, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm.
I am back after nearly 2 weeks away, to this sad news, too late even to attend the memorial which I expect was a huge dose of Tom-Love!!! My heart breaks for you, even as I know you will always feel blessed from your life with Tom. We are all better for having been in the presence of his laughter and lust for life, and his wise and loving and remarkably energetic approach to life as well as pottery and art. I treasure even more the work of his that I get to hold and use, and my many vibrant memories of him. I only wish we all had an extra 40 years with the guy. I can hear his bewilderment at my tears, saying to me with a smile to “get on with it!”
May we all be a little more like Tom was, and carry on his gifts to the world.
Reading these tributes to Tom is a very emotional thing. He had such a huge number of friends who have articulated their feelings far better than I can. But what an impact he had on everyone he met – his enthusiasm for everything, his talent, and his prescence all add to up a unique human being. How fortunate we all are that he was in our lives. To his wife and family, we share your loss of this wonderful man, and we know that his spirit will live on forever.
I only had the pleasure of knowing Tom for a few days, but it was my beer-fueled privelege to try and fill his shoes cinematically. Both Tom and myself have been known for delivering a performance brewed with real toasted hops. As a woodworker and man of the theater, I felt an instant kinship with Tom, as the type of man who stubbornly chooses to make beauty with his hands; to surround himself with others who share that passion, even building a stage or kiln so that all we children may create/play together. To drink deep from the draughts of life, stopping to smell the roses, and even, when the fancy strikes us, to eat the goddamn roses. For roses…they can be mighty tasty.
It was an honor to portray him, and at the news of his untimely passing, I stand erect, puff out my chest, doff my cap and salute smartly, belching out my “barbaric yawp” at such an uncommon good one as was Tom the Potter.
Kathryn,
While I fired a kiln with Tom just once and shared a meal with him another time, I remember his warmth and good humor very clearly. He struck me as I guy with a huge heart. As we were firing, he modeled for me for a Bray postcard, repeating the shadow I was looking to photograph over and over. If I can track it down, I’ll send you some (only a shadow). My deepest condolences to you and your family.
How wonderful to have known Tom even for too short a time! He was wonderful to us, and his students in his generosity and lively spirit. I am so pleased to have had his light in my life. I am also happy that he was such a humorous wit and good cook at our inaugural firing! Tom is sorely missed by anyone who path crossed his. My heart is breaking for Kathryn the rest of the family as they have lost so much. I will always be grateful for Tom’s help in the construction, first firing of our Madras Dragon and introducing my apprentice, Spencer Dixon. His genuine warmness of spirit and excitement about good things in life was infectious. He was excitied about art, He made and appreciated fine ceramics. He was only to eager to share his knowledge and excitement to the benefit of all. I am so happy to have had Tom as my friend. I will try to emulate the things I saw in him that I admired so much.
So hear’s to you Tom. RIP
I am Kathryn’s father.
I first met Tom when he came with Kathryn to Florida were I spend winter. Tom and I stood under the stars one night talking when he spoke to me ” I want you to know my intentions are honourable and I want to marry your daughter “.
I thought at the time what a fine young man he was. They went on to get married and over the years I never had reason to change my mind. He is, was, and always will be be, a fine young man.
And for those of you who have had the pleasure of knowing his parents Dick and Ann Rohr, it his not hard to see why.
Thank you Dick and Ann for giving us such a fine young man
When I moved to Eugene a few years ago I had been out of the country for quite a while and was looking to get back into clay. I heard about LCC and that the professor there might be willing to take me in as an independent student allowing me to work on a possible graduate school portfolio. I had alot of catching up to do from those years out of clay. Little did I know I was walking into Tom Rohr’s studio extravaganza. It was unlike anything I had ever been apart of…From one day to the next, walking into the studio would come with great surprises…plans to build a new kiln, Thai food coming in from town, surprise guest speakers, or slide lectures that turned into stories about monkeys. Tom helped me over the next year by giving me the space I needed with a little nudge here and there to push me to make better work, to get involved if I really wanted to do this thing, and really gave me the confidence that I needed to even attempt a grad school application. I remember asking him for the first time if he thought my work was good enough and if I was ready. He just looked at me and bombarded me with questions of where do I want to go, what kind of work did I want to make there, when do you want to take pictures? He made you feel like you could jump in and do just about anything.
My husband and I spent our last evening in Oregon at Tom and Kathryn’s house, having one of their amazing four-course meals with friends, before heading out of state for graduate school. I can’t help but think that I didn’t thank Tom enough for the huge role he played in getting me where I am today and how lucky I was to know him and be in on the party.
Kathryn, my deepest sympathy.
And Tom, my deepest gratitude.
Apologies for my last comment. Though, Tom would have understood. Now that I have had time to let things sink in, I realized that I owe him more than the profane and visceral reaction I relayed. He touched my life in EXACTLY the same way as I see he did other’s. In big, comprehensive sweeps of gentle, but laser-like criticism. When he gave advice, I learned to listen.
He meant more to me in the span of 2 years, than my own Father has been in my entire life. There hasn’t been a day without something he taught me popping into my head, rolling around, making new connections, and leaving me with more questions than answers. I adore him for it.
He taught me to find my center. I came quickly, and emotionally to the conclusion that he made up the majority of it. His confidence was so much larger than life, that it wore off on me. AND QUICKLY! Sometimes I would argue with him during critiques, and then try to convince myself that he was being insulting. The towering presence he had, could easily lead people to think he was being mean, or over-critical, when he was just being what he always was… Honest, straight forward, and considerate. If I was ever mad at him for anything, the anger lasted about as long as it took for him to make me laugh again.
He really was, and still it a beacon in my life. A distant goal. I wanted to be like him…..
I wanted to be him.
Kathryn, I cannot begin to know your loss. There was no one in my world like him. I bow to your strength, in carrying on. Which is what I imagine he would have wanted. Thank you, for that strength. It radiates a long way from it’s origin, just like Tom’s.
I got a hold of ‘The Go Getter’. Watching it is makeing me cry more than I have so far, but if any of you ever want to seem Tom-boy in motion…. watch it. It must have been fun. A movie about a guy trying to find his brother.
“When all the wheels in the studio are whispers, I’ll retire.”
Tom was fond of saying that… I wish I could afford 18 or so wheels, just so I could at least give him that.
Here are my vows, in the spirit/presence of Tom.
Order appetizers
Stay up past 9 when there’s a party goin on
Make way for creativity
Relish our time together
Love and cherish Kathryn
Kathryn,
I’m shocked and very sad to hear the news about Tom. I can’t even begin to imagine your loss. I will always remember his smile and that booming laughter he shared so frequently. His joy for life and for pottery will continue to inspire me. Please know that you are in my thoughts.
Grace
Kathryn, so sorry. This is a shock. completely unfair. I still use a great bowl-like cup that Tom made way back at LSU, and so never felt you guys were very far (I did check your websites from time to time, and admire both your work through the years). I don’t know what to wish you… sweetness? lightness? knowing the sadness and grief are inevitable. Is still think of Tom when I listen to Bob Dylan… May his joie de vivre carry you forward. Much love and support to you.
Jack (yes, the one jack…) sends his blessings too.
Peace
There are some people such as Tom who are a gathering point for good energy. They bring talented, wonderful people together. Some of us walk, others like Tom seem to soar above, stopping at many places and leaving beauty in their wake. He leaves behind memories and impressions that challenge and inspire.
I cannot even begin to brag about all the amazing moments I was able to share with him in the early 80s and the rest of our GPSHS “Brew with 82″ class of fun fools
You knew Tom was extra special even way back then..you knew he was destine for greatness..you knew he would be a traveler..you knew he would do something different and extremely creative with his life
I am so sorry for your loss Kathryn…I look at the photos posted on this website and the comments made by others and I know that you two shared an amazing life together..I know Tom ended up exactly where he wanted/deserved to be and I know he died a happy man
Below is a song that makes me think of Tom…the kind of world that I want is a world filled with TOMs..the kind of world where he is building his masterpiece..if we can’t have him in this world…it certainly helps to know he is now watching over it
love and peace to all of you that were lucky enough to have him in your life
Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine, a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or
Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.’s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance – Grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Should there be people or peoples
Money, Funny pedestals for
Fools who never pay
Raise your Army – Choose your Steeple
Don’t be shy, the satellites
can look the other way
Lose the Earthquakes – Keep the Faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every Man own his own Hand
Can you dig it baby?
What kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Sunlight’s on the Bridge
Sunlight’s on the Way
Tomorrow’s Calling
There’s more to this than Love
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
I’m a friend of Toms from High School – we shared many incredibly fun times in the 80′s in GP. I always remember Toms laugh – it was so contagious and genuine – from parties to ski trips to just hanging out – everyone loved to be with Tom. I have a few of his early bowls – I treasure them – he loved pottery and was so brilliant and creative and passionate about it. Tom could have done anything that he set his mind to – I’m happy that he pursued some thing he loved so much. Kathryn I’m so sad for your loss – but know you were blessed with the life and time that you had with Tom – he was one of a kind wonderful man and he will be missed.
Kathryn, I also know Tom from our times back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Times like those have been burned into my soul. I know Tom as a friend that I could trust. He earned the admiration of being one of many true friends. A man to be counted on to lay it out strait. I have been away serving our country for some 20+ years and had the joy of talking with Tom at our 20 Yr reunion for Grosse Pointe South High Class of 82’, and just a few years ago about one of his pieces of work that I wrote about for school. We shared a drink and a walk, similar to this, down memory lane. We laughed about those times we spent in his basement (onward through the fog!), The Graduation night trip to the hospital and how lucky he was to share even the next day with us. I could go on about the times Tom enriched my life, as I am sure others have and will continue to do. Tom was and will always be a dear friend, and I miss him, as you must also. Pilliod, see you on the other side.
Francis Louis Charbonneau Jr, Grosse Pointe, MI permalink
July 23, 2009 5:36 am
My memories of Tom are numerous although I have not seen him in years…I remember that Tom was in Choir for three or four years in high school at Grosse Pointe South. No matter if the weather was bad and pouring rain which would leave many in sour moods, Tom always knew how to pick people up and speak sing witticism that would have everyone laughing. I can’t picture Tom gone…my memories of Tom are locked forever from the year 1982 and I am glad to have been a friend of his…in feeling very depressed this evening in hearing about this death of our classmate and friend, I thought of a movie a lot of us remember from long ago about the Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo who was Gayle Sayers friend…”In the end, it was not about how he died…but he how lived, how he did live…” God bless Tom, we’ll miss him, and may God bless his wife and family…Love and condolences to all of Tom’s family members from the Charbonneau family.
Tom was a classmate of mine in grade school at St. Clare and in hign school at Grosse Pointe South. Our paths even crossed when I visited my wife at The University of Michigan. Tom lived in her dorm. He was an enigmatic figure etched in my mind. Playing hard never fazed his academic achievement. His smile was infectious and his wit trigger quick. God bless you Tom. My condolences to you Kathryn. Just know that Tom continues to smile on you and all of us.
Word of Tom’s passing reached Michigan very quickly and came as a shock to everyone. Tom was an incredible person who was filled with passion about everything he encountered. As one of his many “Grosse Pointe” Buddies, I was fortunate to share in a friendship that was unwavering. I met Tom in 1979 and although he traveled the globe in pursuit of his art, time and distance would never get in the way of the bond we had. He could be “dropping by” on his way back from Winnipeg, Baton Rouge or Oregon in his blue Chevy S-10 pick-up overflowing with whatever, and when he walked in the room it was like he never left. We would sit down and enjoy a meal together ( and man did he love Sharon’s fried chicken.)The times we spent together were all about friends hangin out to enjoy what life had to offer. Good music, great concerts, swimming in Lake St. Clair on a hot summer day. At trip to Windsor for a case . Where is the party? ……Willy’s?, Yotts? Steigler? Jimmy B’s? Gibneys? Ben Dog’s? Park park? Farms Pier? I will always remember his blue Blue Ford escort (or the Plymoth Omni). Tom and I attended our first Grateful Dead show together at Pine Knob in August of 1980, Springsteen @ Chrysler Arena in Ann Arbor in Octpber of the same year. ( and so many more I cannot remember). Tom was amazing at just about everything he did. As his cousin Martin said, whether it was a game of basketball, throwing the frisbee, shooting pool, drinking a beer or having a conversation, to share in any experience with Tom always brought you to a place where nothing else mattered. The stories that will be told about the memories of Tom are endless.
Tom Rohr was a tremendous person who succeeded in life in so many ways. A potter, a teacher, a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle and a friend. He will be missed. Tom Turned me on to Dave Matthews way back when Under The table and dreaming came out. He told me this guy is gonna be big. He loaned me the CD and I never gave it back.
Roll out down to midnight
Then roll on downtown ’til it’s light
Because tomorrow we may die
Oh, but tonight we’re dancing in the faint light
Don’t you rob yourself of what you’re feeling
Don’t rob yourself of all that you could be
Roll hard ’til midnight
Roll ’til it’s light
Come on now
Stay up and make some memories
Yeah, with us now
Roll the red carpet out with friends
To whom, to love and roll on
I met Tom in 9th grade math at South High School. He used to joke that I got him through high school math. This always made me laugh because anyone who know Tom knew how incredibly smart he was. He certainly didn’t need my help in math or any other subject for that matter. We then went on to the University of Michigan together. I didn’t see him much but when I did he was always like a breath of fresh air. His positive, upbeat outlook on life always made me smile. He was one of the people who I looked forward to catching up with at our high school reunions. I was impressed that he had followed his passion and seemed incredibly happy. I know he will be missed and I feel very lucky to have known him.
siento profundamente la perdida de mi gran amigo Tom.el fue una inspiracion en mi vida y siempre estara conmigo.el tiempo que estube en su casa con Kat y Tom fue una de las mejores etapas de mi vida.mi corazon siempre estara contigo mi gran AMIGO.donde estes seras siempre recordado.desde Barcelona we love you
strap yerself with a tree with roots …..a tree with a little wild bird that blasts in and lands in our limbs and finds a comfortable perch. a bird with wings.a bird that reeks of valor and JOY! a bird that can levitate and celebrate with us down here. little bird to help us suck the keg dry till the next arrives………… a bird to alert us to the color of the sky, the color of the berries, the flutter of our hearts. fly,fly,fly into the sky
I just heard this news and am completely stunned. My deepest wishes for healing to his family. Tom was so full of life and made the most beautiful pots. I knew him from LSU and again in Alaska – wherever Tom went there was a good time to be had – food, beer, and fantastic energetic conversation. I’m just shocked, I can’t believe he’s gone. What a huge loss to the world.
I was at the University of Michigan with “T Rohr” for two years. There are some people in this world who just shine a little brighter than the rest of us. Tom was one of those. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
Thank you Tom for lighting a fire in my hands and in my heart. I wish I could have done and shared more with you before you left your body. I can hope you had soft hands from the salve I left for you. Forever I will remember your nurturing ambiance and I will build on the strong foundation you provided.
Sweet Kathryn, Russ and I have been in shock since we found out about Tom’s passing. It has been so long since we’ve connected but you both are so dear to us and always in our hearts. We send you our love and soothing prayers. May you feel his loving spirit always close.
While Tom’s spirit will continue to lift us and inspire us, his earthly presence will be missed tremendously. Our love goes with you on your spirit journey, Tom! Until we meet again…
When I think of Tom there is just so much that happens in my mind and in my heart. Everything just wants to come out at once when I think about him and the time I spent as his student at LCC. I honestly cannot spit out a coherent thought about just how much this has rocked my life. I still cannot come to grips with Tom being gone.
Seems like just yesterday I saw Tom at the student employee art show at LCC and he walked me down to the new kilns to show me all of the progress they had been making since I’d left. He was so great that way — always wanting to show off the things his students were making. He was so proud of all the things we created yet critical and supportive.
My God. I can’t believe you’re gone, my friend. You were always the reason I had for stopping by LCC. I loved just stopping in and saying hi and having your good vibes, ideas and aura rub off off on me.
To Tom’s family and loved ones: I wish you all the best and offer my most sincere condolences.
Tom: Rest in peace and know you’ve left a considerable imprint on my life. I will miss you very much and think of you whenever I think about all the great ways you enjoyed life. You will never be forgotten.
It really is true that Tom was our friend. For me at least he has always been and always be an inspiration. I have always cherished Tom’s energy and passion for everything he did. Hell, I always miss him. Makin’ pots I often think of his direction, what he would think of something, how he was quick to be of assistance. My heart goes out to you Katherine, I hope you can spend time with friends and family and think back to all the good times.
Jerm
It really is true that Tom was our friend. For me at least he has always been and always be an inspiration. I have always cherished Tom’s energy and passion for everything he did. Hell, I always miss him. Makin’ pots I often think of his direction, what he would think of something, how he was quick to be of assistance. My heart goes out to you Kathryn, I hope you can spend time with friends and family and think back to all the good times.
Jerm
I only met Tom through his work. He sent some amazing pieces to our 2009 NCECA cup show, and of all the works I coveted, his were the pieces I added to my own collection. Now I’m even more honored, and humbled, to have even a small part of his gift.
Dear Kathryn,
Our only connection is that I have a beautiful flower brick from you from an NCECA several years ago and that I see you at Bob Briscoe’s for the St. Croix pottery event. Because your pot holds flowers often at my home, I think of you every time I see it. When I heard about Tom’s passing–I was at Anderson Ranch after you had come and gone–my heart filled with sadness at your sadness of now being without your partner. As I read the love that has come your way through the comments above, I see he was a wonderful, bigger-than-life man who will be sorely missed by many. I just wanted to reach out too and say my thoughts are with you.
Lovingly,
Linda
Even though I didn’t know Tom very long (and not long enough) I feel really lucky to have known him at all. He was a great teacher, I took drawing from him last year. I’ve never had a teacher who was so invested in his student’s work, or one so excited about what I was capable of. He always encouraged me to finish my work–which I didn’t do very often. He was funny, witty, and had GREAT taste in music. We talked about music a lot, and he turned me onto some really amazing artists. I will probably think about him when I listen to them now. What an amazing person—such a loss for the rest of us. I found out today going back to school that he had passed on. I had signed up for his ceramics class and was surprised not to see him, and very sad. Bye Tom! Thanks for everything. I promise to finish what I start.
I frequently hear Tom’s voice in the back of my head giving me pointers and tips on how to be a better ceramics artist. I stop and think to myself, I’m so grateful I had the chance to learn from such an enthusiastic person who loved what he did and wanted to share everything he knew with others. He was by far one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He helped me and pushed me unlike anyone else and I will miss him always. I’ll never forget to put my pieces in “the sweet spot” to “get the lovin on.” As Tom would put it. Thank you Tom, I wouldn’t be where I am as an artist without you.
Today we’ll order appetizers and raise our steins
with three cheers for our favorite bierstein maker
Tommy, we’re still singing your praises and holding you close
to our hearts which still overflow with love for you
Shine bright and shine on all over us!
Tom lit up our lives and his light will shine on us always – he’s the biggest rock star I’ve ever known.
I didn’t know Tom well, but every time I saw him he was the life of the party and the fire in the room.
When I taught a workshop at LCC, he welcomed me so graciously into the studios and when I hosted First Friday Art Walks where his work was showing, he livened up the crowd like no other artist, talking about his work and life in a way that was authentic and engaging!
It’s just too soon for him to be gone. God’s speed to his family and friends as they navigate this new world without Tom.
Showcase this past year was sure a lot less fun without Tom’s high intensity cooking demo. Each years his alioli became our potters’ communion as we each partook of his garlicky concoctions. Tom shared so much info and enthusiasm for pottery and Life each time I had a chance to yak with him.
My heart goes out to you, Kathryn.
Cynthia
My sympathies go out to Kathryn, and to all who knew him. Tom was an example to all of us on how to live life to the fullest. His sense of humor, his generous spirit, and his beautiful pottery were remarkable in this world. I can’t believe that he is gone.
What!? Tom Rohr? Moved on to the next plane of existence? But…
Thomas is an amazing, irrepressible soul – his physical presence will be achingly missed by those of us still here. What an incredible persona; Mr. “Yes!”. Generous beyond belief, caring above reason, Lover of everything. Exuding talent and excitement from every pore, taking in all that life has to offer with each and every breath. Thank you, Thomas Rohr, for gracing my life with your Self – what an incredible gift you are!
Tom will forever live on in my mind and heart as a source of encouragement, support and example. Setting a tone of what can be done, living fearlessly and taking art to the next level. His energy will be available to us all from realms beyond.
Dear Kathyrn the ache in your heart must be inconsolable; I will keep you in my prayers.
Paula
Kathryn, I am so sorry for your loss. There are really no words that can describe the shock and sadness at Tom’s passing. He was a joy to be around and an inspiration as as and person and as an artist. His smile, wit and wisdom will be missed but his spirit endures.
To my Dear Godmother Ann, to all my cousins’ Rohr, and of course to Kathryn – My heart breaks fully for you now and I am at a loss for words. May God send you the seemingly impossible amount of strength you will need today, tomorrow, and all the days ahead, and may angels carry you through life till peace of mind finds it’s way back to your body and souls where it most rightly belongs.
With candle lighted I am with you all in spirit ~
Much love from Annie, and all my siblings, O’Neill.
R.I.P. Tom. I wish the best for you and your family. The handful of times that I was privileged to work with and interact with you were not enough.
Kathryn, I am so sorry for your loss and my deepest sympathies are with you and with Tom’s family at this difficult time. It’s very hard for those left behind to understand the workings of the Universe.
Sometimes a person’s light and intensity is so bright that it’s too much for a mere physical bodily vessel to hold bound up for too long. Perhaps that is why Tom had to leaves us so early. As many have said: his joie de vivre, fun loving nature, generosity, wit, creativity, largeness of spirit and soulfulness are some of the qualities that express what I saw in him. I always enjoyed my interactions with Tom and appreciated what he was doing and contributing to our community. He gave us so much and I’ll treasure the memories I have of Tom. Remembering him will most likely make me chuckle. I will miss him greatly.
Kathryn – I’m so sorry for your loss. It is a loss for all of us and the biggest for you and his family. I’m giving you a big long distance hug right now and wish I could be there with you. You know my spirit is there through my sister, Lisa. Snuggle up with those dogs and take all the love you can get from his spirit in them. I love you. – Koos
Dear Kathryn, Cary was just looking at your work at Red Star Studios in Kansas City this afternoon and wondering how you are. We just came across the news of Tom’s heart attack by accident. What a shock. You have our deepest sympathy and we will be thinking of you in the days ahead. Love, Mo Dickens and Cary Esser
Dear Kathryn,
Please know you have been on my mind since I heard about Tom. My heart cries for you. He is missed greatly by all. The whole world lost a great spirit. I’m deeply sorry for your loss.
Don
Dear kathryn,
I’ll never forget those great demo he gave at Showcase, I remember him making his “donut” platters with such natural flow and a personality to match, I loved his enthusiasm and sense of humor. Although he didn’t know who the heck I was, because of his personable nature on stage, it’s as if I had met him.
I am sad that he is no longer here and that I won’t be able to get a “donut” platter…
the answer may have always been yes, but it never ended at yes. there was no simple answer to anything, it usually ended up being a 5 minute demo that lasted for 30. tom made you work for that “yes” it was never handed out. always a lesson learned.
i feel truely blessed to have had him as my instructor the last two years. i wouldnt be the artist or person i am now without him.
he will be sorely missed
my heart go out to you kathryn
Tom…, such a great friend. And mentor. Such a great everything! He inspired me in so many ways. I always looked up to him as someone I wish I could be lucky enough to be like. A level unobtainable! I knew how blessed I was just to know him! Tom knew how to light fires, not just in a kiln or a barbecue, but in our hearts. Thank you Tom. You will be loved and missed always.
Mike
Tom was a special man… A wonderful Potter & bright light. He was also one of the best dancers ever. He will be sorely missed by the whole ceramicv communtity. Much love to Kathryn & may she cary on in
peace.
Tom will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him. A great potter & bright light, he was also the best dancer I’ve danced with in years. May his spirit con tinue to dance in us. & Kathryn may you go forward in peace, knowing that you are well loved in this community.
Lively, outgoing, fantastic, loving, caring, funny, intelligent – Tom was the most influential professor I ever had, not to mention the kindest. His words were always well placed and his effort outstanding. He is already greatly missed and will be for all of existence. To throw pots without his tips, and to chat without his compassion will be forever missed in my heart. Tom truly was the most outstanding potter I have ever met, in more ways than one and his sincerity towards art was abundant. Tom, we miss you buddy and I hope you will bless us all with your presence as soon as Cone 12 goes down as well as when you feel fit.
So sorry to hear about the passing of Tom. He was such an inspiration and mentor to my sister. He will be missed.
Dear Kathryn,
Our hearts go out to you. Tom’s passing was a great shock and a terrible loss to our entire pottery community. He lived fully, but not nearly long enough. I’m constantly relearning the lesson to appreciate the good things in my life, and this sad event reminds me to hold on a little tighter.
You have our deepest sympathy.
Deborah and Andre
Fire was in Tom’s heart. It fueled his indefatigable energy, his warmth and unfailing commitment to people and to the projects he undertook. He revered it as Promethean technology, as part of the mystery of humanity, as an element that propelled us into civilizations, that transforms the quality of our lives by heating our bodies, cooking our food and making our goods durable, lasting. He knew it brought us together and, in tending the campfire, he worked, built and ate in the spirit of a caveman, resolutely, primitively — with his hands. Yet, at the same time, he fully embodied the reconciliation of such primal, haptic knowledge with remarkable business acumen, intellectual alacrity, worldly sophistication, artistic prowess and master craftsmanship. There were all kinds of apparent contradictions that this man seamlessly, effortlessly resolved; he had a desire to take life in and the rare innate ability to bring it all harmoniously together.
Tom shared his love of the tactile and his knowledge of the body, his grounding in his own body, with us through his work. He offered playful avenues into the flesh, like the pleasure points, for example, hidden under some of his tumblers. They are nipples of sorts that as spectators we see only furtively, as a bottom goes up when someone else takes a drink. Should we be the drinker ourselves, our finger might discretely graze the little bump as we hold the vessel lee. We have been jocularly turned by this potter into peeping Toms, and he was responsible for setting off erotic charges in our hands. But this clandestine feature also takes us deep into our somatic condition, allowing us subtly, almost subliminally to revel in the history and nourishment of our bodies. It returns us to the teat in celebration of the cup as the simple reincarnation of the mother’s breast. There, in drinking from Tom’s vessel, is the experience, the delight — and the gift — of the very first sup.
I love his cruets, his pitchers. They pour magically. His plates turn dinner into ritual. While Rohr plates were fairly hard to come by in recent years, the tumblers kept tumbling effortlessly into my life, generation after generation of them, at the slightest opportunity and in numbers — until the other day. It is the form of his that I have lived most closely with, that has served rivers of liquids rather than mere gallons to my body, the form that I understandably find impossible to separate ourselves from. Most of the early ones have succumbed from good, hard use, from water too hot or a slip of the hand. They have gone to rest outside in a garden under a stand of bamboo. Positioned at odd angles, their bottoms finally unabashedly turned upward in a surround of dried leaves, they are to me like settled headstones in an old, old unkempt graveyard. Now, with Tom gone, they have become my own private memorial to him.
Luckily, a few vintage tumblers remain at my table, but the newest and the last express another dimension of Tom’s way of being in the world. It is also not hard to see them as a remark on the vulnerability of his body, or as prescience of his passing even. These tumblers are bigger than the ones that came before, just as Tom was so remarkably expansive, inclusive and unparalleled in both his generosity and ability to invigorate a community, a classroom. What is most poignant about them, though, is created by crimps he put into their sides: when we look down into the cup as we set to swallow, the walls of the vessel form the outline of a heart.
He was all heart, all the time. To be in friendship with him was to connect at those places where there was something to be loved in common. We connected with him at the heart. We loved food together with Tom. We loved work with him. He taught us how to love pots, or, if we already had some affinity, we learned to love them more. In his company we lived simply and we loved life richly. In his absence we cherish the gift of his example all the more, and we give our love to Kathryn, who must endure the greatest loss among us all.
So, here’s my Tom story:
Before moving to Oregon I had fallen for pottery and decided to pursue it in school. While trying to figure out where to move next I came across the pots of a mister Tom Rohr. At that point in my pottery education I didn’t know quite what I was looking for but upon seeing those pots there was a connection made that drew me in and made Eugene more and more appealing. It isn’t easily described. Something in their strong straightforward simplicity. Their grace and ease. I must have been mesmerized. So on a visit to Eugene in the summer I stopped in to LCC. The rooms were dark and empty. It was the beginning of Tom’s time there. Those empty rooms didn’t say much about the program. But there I found a light on, Tom in his office. So we sat down and bang, Tom came at me with all his bursting exuberance and plans for the program. What he wanted to create in those empty rooms. It was exciting. It was also the first of the many lectures I was lucky to receive, lasting maybe an hour while I spoke little.
He was a man of many words and I’m trying to remember some of them now. I feel that with his passing it is in those words that I’ll find Tom again when I’m evaluating my work, doing our work at LCC or perhaps talking to my own future students. I feel like he’ll be here in so many ways that now seem hard to imagine. One thing in particular that he said stands out. We were doing some labor together and I was trying to figure my life out, what path leads to success. And he told me that one can’t possibly know what path to take, that life will take you there. You just need to work and follow it. Only once you’ve arrived will you know what led you there. Now I, as so many of us do, look back and marvel at the great good fortune that life brought me/us Tom. And further, that Tom brought us each other, the great web of friends that surrounded Tom that he so freely shared.
One more story: The night of the 2008 election I wanted to watch the returns glued to a TV and suggested that most other people would want that too, so perhaps we should close the studio early for the night. Tom understood and told me to go, but that he would stay and close up. He explained that he saw the studio at LCC as a place where people could connect with each other in such times of intense emotion, and connect those feelings with their work. He said that on 9/11 the only place he wanted to be was working in his studio, making sense of what happened through working with his hands. As I try to figure out where to go from here I remember that, that Tom’s commitment to goodness and generosity and authenticity was born out in his work, made real in this world so we could all benefit. That’s why Tom isn’t going anywhere soon, why I’ll hear his voice amidst my own and see his hands in the work he left behind.
I love you, Tom. Thank you and I’ll miss you.
SJS
Larger than life
Kathryn
when he spoke of you and the dream you shared anyone listening heard sincere love and joy
-above the passion he had for clay…and that is a lot of passion!
Grieving for you
the days are not real now and my words can’t mean anything to you. your smile is strong in my minds eye
I will keep it and believe in your spirit.
Wishing peace to your soul and all the time
Sincerely with love, Katie
Tom brought people together. He had a way of making everyone feel welcomed and included. His enthusiasm for life, people, and clay created an atmosphere that fostered collaboration and growth.
Tom was a great teacher and mentor. His willingness to extend himself made his students want to reach higher and push their limits. He brought experienced clay artists in touch with beginners in a natural, nurturing way that left both feeling better for the experience.
Tom made wonderful pots, great coffee, and good conversation. He always promoted his wife Katheryn’s virtues and career before his own. He will be sorely missed by his friends, his colleagues, and his community.
Tom was an amazing guy, a force of nature. I don’t think that I have ever met anyone with such passion for so many things. Pottery of course. But also food, music, sports, movies, and on and on. Whatever Tom engaged in he embraced with amazing intensity. He was incredibly open to new things and other people—after first meeting him and talking with him, I felt like I had known him for ages. Like so many others, I will miss him deeply. But I also am thankful that I received so much in the short time that I knew him. I know that his memory will remain vivid, that his zest for life, his hospitality, his unquenchable desire to learn, and his positive outlook on everything (even the Lions) will always inspire me.
Tom made a big impression on me in two ways; the great warmth of his personality, and the great beauty of his pottery. Several years ago, on the day we met, I was immediately struck by how bright and quick he was. He was so outgoing and friendly and smart and fun. Tom was a remarkably accomplished potter; one of the handful of really great ones! A little bit of Tom lives on in every one of the exquisite pots he created, and for that we should all be grateful. He was a potter’s potter, and a wonderful man. I am saddened by his passing. My deepest condolences to Kathryn.
Heavy Rocks
Balls thrown far
Hawaiian shirts
Stinky tape
Grilled halibut
Blue terry cloth robe
Bubble wrap
Bare feet
Packing pots
Paella
Art-bars
Clay pencils
Strong coffee in cone shaped funnel
Unpacking pot
Yes, sure, why not!
That’s right
Hot water
Cold water
Blackberries
Wood stoves
Rubber on clay
Transplants
Painted walls
Bright lights
Sure
Unpacking pots
I will miss you
tom’s name never once came up in conversation without my injecting what an excellent amazing deep and wonderful human being he was/is. to think of him brings up in me a deep soul urge to allow all of me to pour out, to be, to express, to learn. i wish i had been a student of toms, and i am so grateful that he devoted so much of his life to giving in that way. he continues to inspire me, and always will, and i strive to be more like him all the time. he is my example when i feel stagnant in my work. he is life in my pots. i feel so lucky that i bought some of his pots, and they have always been displayed in my living space, and i have them to hold and use. kathryn i am thinking of you so much these days and send love and strength and hope your way.
For five days straight, I have laughed and cried endlessly while being flooded with Tom Rohr memories. Kathryn, while I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, I wish desperately that I could be there tomorrow, to hug you, and to join you all in celebrating the truly amazing life of Tom.
I think I met Tom in person 5 times.
I was so looking forward to getting to know him, he was so filled with life.
I just heard of his passing.
I barely knew him and just feel such a great loss.
What a wake Tom left.
I am so grateful to have had a chance to know him, even if just a little.
Kathryn, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
He called me Doctor Baines. I called him Tommy. Not sure why he bestowed upon me the honorary degree. Always amusing to me when others, hearing Tom, would also call me that. I called him Tommy, I think because he was like my little brother, who seemed also to be my elder.
We had fun no matter what we were doing, like kids. Work or play with Tommy, was not much different. Lucky me.
I’ve read comments from so many people and have spoken with so many people in recent days and it’s amazing how universal our feelings are for him . We all got the goodness! Whether you’ve known him for only a few moments, or decades, Tom made a strong, positive impression.
We’d started an orchard project recently. We were going to raise truffles together on his back acreage – we were planting oaks. Thinking long term. The project was exciting for many reasons, but for me, mostly because it meant I would be tied to Tom in work and play for years and years to come. Oak trees. “Strap yourself to the tree with roots.”
I’ve had a decade of the greatest friendship, met the most wonderful people, worked, played and learned so much. He was such a gift.
We circle around Kathryn now, bouncing back to her the love and generosity that Tom gave to us all.
I love you Tommy, so much!
Doctor Baines, (Michael)
Simplify
Make good work
“You know you want it”
Like hundreds of other, I had the great, good fortune to have been a student of Tom’s. He infused the LCC studio with his big personality and philosophy. He asked and expected each student to think kindly of each others intentions, respect each other and respect the work, teach each other, learn from each other, develop quality craftmanship, explore, create, solve problems, make good decisions, develop connections, do a little more than your fair share, and, remember the love. Tom’s personality set the tone and atmosphere and created a place of striving with joy, passion, and community.
The generosity and exuberance that I daily marveled at in the studio was the very essence that he brought to all his friendships and the community that he created. Amongst many of the teachings that he shared, he told me that, in this world, there are givers and there are takers. Tom, of course, was a giver extrodinaire!!
My heart is filled with gratitude for the ways Tom touched my life with his encouragement, knowledge, challenges, and friendship. Let all our hearts be filled with gratitude that we have had the opportunity to have had Tom Rohr touch our lives with his generosity, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm.
Hello dear Kathryn,
I am back after nearly 2 weeks away, to this sad news, too late even to attend the memorial which I expect was a huge dose of Tom-Love!!! My heart breaks for you, even as I know you will always feel blessed from your life with Tom. We are all better for having been in the presence of his laughter and lust for life, and his wise and loving and remarkably energetic approach to life as well as pottery and art. I treasure even more the work of his that I get to hold and use, and my many vibrant memories of him. I only wish we all had an extra 40 years with the guy. I can hear his bewilderment at my tears, saying to me with a smile to “get on with it!”
May we all be a little more like Tom was, and carry on his gifts to the world.
much love, Laurie
Reading these tributes to Tom is a very emotional thing. He had such a huge number of friends who have articulated their feelings far better than I can. But what an impact he had on everyone he met – his enthusiasm for everything, his talent, and his prescence all add to up a unique human being. How fortunate we all are that he was in our lives. To his wife and family, we share your loss of this wonderful man, and we know that his spirit will live on forever.
I only had the pleasure of knowing Tom for a few days, but it was my beer-fueled privelege to try and fill his shoes cinematically. Both Tom and myself have been known for delivering a performance brewed with real toasted hops. As a woodworker and man of the theater, I felt an instant kinship with Tom, as the type of man who stubbornly chooses to make beauty with his hands; to surround himself with others who share that passion, even building a stage or kiln so that all we children may create/play together. To drink deep from the draughts of life, stopping to smell the roses, and even, when the fancy strikes us, to eat the goddamn roses. For roses…they can be mighty tasty.
It was an honor to portray him, and at the news of his untimely passing, I stand erect, puff out my chest, doff my cap and salute smartly, belching out my “barbaric yawp” at such an uncommon good one as was Tom the Potter.
He finally made me cry. The bastard. Miss him.
Kathryn,
While I fired a kiln with Tom just once and shared a meal with him another time, I remember his warmth and good humor very clearly. He struck me as I guy with a huge heart. As we were firing, he modeled for me for a Bray postcard, repeating the shadow I was looking to photograph over and over. If I can track it down, I’ll send you some (only a shadow). My deepest condolences to you and your family.
Ayumi
How wonderful to have known Tom even for too short a time! He was wonderful to us, and his students in his generosity and lively spirit. I am so pleased to have had his light in my life. I am also happy that he was such a humorous wit and good cook at our inaugural firing! Tom is sorely missed by anyone who path crossed his. My heart is breaking for Kathryn the rest of the family as they have lost so much. I will always be grateful for Tom’s help in the construction, first firing of our Madras Dragon and introducing my apprentice, Spencer Dixon. His genuine warmness of spirit and excitement about good things in life was infectious. He was excitied about art, He made and appreciated fine ceramics. He was only to eager to share his knowledge and excitement to the benefit of all. I am so happy to have had Tom as my friend. I will try to emulate the things I saw in him that I admired so much.
So hear’s to you Tom. RIP
I am Kathryn’s father.
I first met Tom when he came with Kathryn to Florida were I spend winter. Tom and I stood under the stars one night talking when he spoke to me ” I want you to know my intentions are honourable and I want to marry your daughter “.
I thought at the time what a fine young man he was. They went on to get married and over the years I never had reason to change my mind. He is, was, and always will be be, a fine young man.
And for those of you who have had the pleasure of knowing his parents Dick and Ann Rohr, it his not hard to see why.
Thank you Dick and Ann for giving us such a fine young man
When I moved to Eugene a few years ago I had been out of the country for quite a while and was looking to get back into clay. I heard about LCC and that the professor there might be willing to take me in as an independent student allowing me to work on a possible graduate school portfolio. I had alot of catching up to do from those years out of clay. Little did I know I was walking into Tom Rohr’s studio extravaganza. It was unlike anything I had ever been apart of…From one day to the next, walking into the studio would come with great surprises…plans to build a new kiln, Thai food coming in from town, surprise guest speakers, or slide lectures that turned into stories about monkeys. Tom helped me over the next year by giving me the space I needed with a little nudge here and there to push me to make better work, to get involved if I really wanted to do this thing, and really gave me the confidence that I needed to even attempt a grad school application. I remember asking him for the first time if he thought my work was good enough and if I was ready. He just looked at me and bombarded me with questions of where do I want to go, what kind of work did I want to make there, when do you want to take pictures? He made you feel like you could jump in and do just about anything.
My husband and I spent our last evening in Oregon at Tom and Kathryn’s house, having one of their amazing four-course meals with friends, before heading out of state for graduate school. I can’t help but think that I didn’t thank Tom enough for the huge role he played in getting me where I am today and how lucky I was to know him and be in on the party.
Kathryn, my deepest sympathy.
And Tom, my deepest gratitude.
Apologies for my last comment. Though, Tom would have understood. Now that I have had time to let things sink in, I realized that I owe him more than the profane and visceral reaction I relayed. He touched my life in EXACTLY the same way as I see he did other’s. In big, comprehensive sweeps of gentle, but laser-like criticism. When he gave advice, I learned to listen.
He meant more to me in the span of 2 years, than my own Father has been in my entire life. There hasn’t been a day without something he taught me popping into my head, rolling around, making new connections, and leaving me with more questions than answers. I adore him for it.
He taught me to find my center. I came quickly, and emotionally to the conclusion that he made up the majority of it. His confidence was so much larger than life, that it wore off on me. AND QUICKLY! Sometimes I would argue with him during critiques, and then try to convince myself that he was being insulting. The towering presence he had, could easily lead people to think he was being mean, or over-critical, when he was just being what he always was… Honest, straight forward, and considerate. If I was ever mad at him for anything, the anger lasted about as long as it took for him to make me laugh again.
He really was, and still it a beacon in my life. A distant goal. I wanted to be like him…..
I wanted to be him.
Kathryn, I cannot begin to know your loss. There was no one in my world like him. I bow to your strength, in carrying on. Which is what I imagine he would have wanted. Thank you, for that strength. It radiates a long way from it’s origin, just like Tom’s.
I got a hold of ‘The Go Getter’. Watching it is makeing me cry more than I have so far, but if any of you ever want to seem Tom-boy in motion…. watch it. It must have been fun. A movie about a guy trying to find his brother.
His pots,
his pets,
his self…
“When all the wheels in the studio are whispers, I’ll retire.”
Tom was fond of saying that… I wish I could afford 18 or so wheels, just so I could at least give him that.
Here are my vows, in the spirit/presence of Tom.
Order appetizers
Stay up past 9 when there’s a party goin on
Make way for creativity
Relish our time together
Love and cherish Kathryn
Kathryn,
I’m shocked and very sad to hear the news about Tom. I can’t even begin to imagine your loss. I will always remember his smile and that booming laughter he shared so frequently. His joy for life and for pottery will continue to inspire me. Please know that you are in my thoughts.
Grace
Kathryn, so sorry. This is a shock. completely unfair. I still use a great bowl-like cup that Tom made way back at LSU, and so never felt you guys were very far (I did check your websites from time to time, and admire both your work through the years). I don’t know what to wish you… sweetness? lightness? knowing the sadness and grief are inevitable. Is still think of Tom when I listen to Bob Dylan… May his joie de vivre carry you forward. Much love and support to you.
Jack (yes, the one jack…) sends his blessings too.
Peace
Godspeed Tom. You stomped the terra but replaced your divots as you went. You were a great potter and human being.
RIP my friend.
There are some people such as Tom who are a gathering point for good energy. They bring talented, wonderful people together. Some of us walk, others like Tom seem to soar above, stopping at many places and leaving beauty in their wake. He leaves behind memories and impressions that challenge and inspire.
I am a friend of Tom’s from High School
I cannot even begin to brag about all the amazing moments I was able to share with him in the early 80s and the rest of our GPSHS “Brew with 82″ class of fun fools
You knew Tom was extra special even way back then..you knew he was destine for greatness..you knew he would be a traveler..you knew he would do something different and extremely creative with his life
I am so sorry for your loss Kathryn…I look at the photos posted on this website and the comments made by others and I know that you two shared an amazing life together..I know Tom ended up exactly where he wanted/deserved to be and I know he died a happy man
Below is a song that makes me think of Tom…the kind of world that I want is a world filled with TOMs..the kind of world where he is building his masterpiece..if we can’t have him in this world…it certainly helps to know he is now watching over it
love and peace to all of you that were lucky enough to have him in your life
Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine, a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or
Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.’s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance – Grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Should there be people or peoples
Money, Funny pedestals for
Fools who never pay
Raise your Army – Choose your Steeple
Don’t be shy, the satellites
can look the other way
Lose the Earthquakes – Keep the Faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every Man own his own Hand
Can you dig it baby?
What kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Sunlight’s on the Bridge
Sunlight’s on the Way
Tomorrow’s Calling
There’s more to this than Love
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
History Starts Now
Be careful what you wish for
Start Now
I’m a friend of Toms from High School – we shared many incredibly fun times in the 80′s in GP. I always remember Toms laugh – it was so contagious and genuine – from parties to ski trips to just hanging out – everyone loved to be with Tom. I have a few of his early bowls – I treasure them – he loved pottery and was so brilliant and creative and passionate about it. Tom could have done anything that he set his mind to – I’m happy that he pursued some thing he loved so much. Kathryn I’m so sad for your loss – but know you were blessed with the life and time that you had with Tom – he was one of a kind wonderful man and he will be missed.
Kathryn, I also know Tom from our times back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Times like those have been burned into my soul. I know Tom as a friend that I could trust. He earned the admiration of being one of many true friends. A man to be counted on to lay it out strait. I have been away serving our country for some 20+ years and had the joy of talking with Tom at our 20 Yr reunion for Grosse Pointe South High Class of 82’, and just a few years ago about one of his pieces of work that I wrote about for school. We shared a drink and a walk, similar to this, down memory lane. We laughed about those times we spent in his basement (onward through the fog!), The Graduation night trip to the hospital and how lucky he was to share even the next day with us. I could go on about the times Tom enriched my life, as I am sure others have and will continue to do. Tom was and will always be a dear friend, and I miss him, as you must also. Pilliod, see you on the other side.
My memories of Tom are numerous although I have not seen him in years…I remember that Tom was in Choir for three or four years in high school at Grosse Pointe South. No matter if the weather was bad and pouring rain which would leave many in sour moods, Tom always knew how to pick people up and speak sing witticism that would have everyone laughing. I can’t picture Tom gone…my memories of Tom are locked forever from the year 1982 and I am glad to have been a friend of his…in feeling very depressed this evening in hearing about this death of our classmate and friend, I thought of a movie a lot of us remember from long ago about the Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo who was Gayle Sayers friend…”In the end, it was not about how he died…but he how lived, how he did live…” God bless Tom, we’ll miss him, and may God bless his wife and family…Love and condolences to all of Tom’s family members from the Charbonneau family.
Tom was a classmate of mine in grade school at St. Clare and in hign school at Grosse Pointe South. Our paths even crossed when I visited my wife at The University of Michigan. Tom lived in her dorm. He was an enigmatic figure etched in my mind. Playing hard never fazed his academic achievement. His smile was infectious and his wit trigger quick. God bless you Tom. My condolences to you Kathryn. Just know that Tom continues to smile on you and all of us.
Word of Tom’s passing reached Michigan very quickly and came as a shock to everyone. Tom was an incredible person who was filled with passion about everything he encountered. As one of his many “Grosse Pointe” Buddies, I was fortunate to share in a friendship that was unwavering. I met Tom in 1979 and although he traveled the globe in pursuit of his art, time and distance would never get in the way of the bond we had. He could be “dropping by” on his way back from Winnipeg, Baton Rouge or Oregon in his blue Chevy S-10 pick-up overflowing with whatever, and when he walked in the room it was like he never left. We would sit down and enjoy a meal together ( and man did he love Sharon’s fried chicken.)The times we spent together were all about friends hangin out to enjoy what life had to offer. Good music, great concerts, swimming in Lake St. Clair on a hot summer day. At trip to Windsor for a case . Where is the party? ……Willy’s?, Yotts? Steigler? Jimmy B’s? Gibneys? Ben Dog’s? Park park? Farms Pier? I will always remember his blue Blue Ford escort (or the Plymoth Omni). Tom and I attended our first Grateful Dead show together at Pine Knob in August of 1980, Springsteen @ Chrysler Arena in Ann Arbor in Octpber of the same year. ( and so many more I cannot remember). Tom was amazing at just about everything he did. As his cousin Martin said, whether it was a game of basketball, throwing the frisbee, shooting pool, drinking a beer or having a conversation, to share in any experience with Tom always brought you to a place where nothing else mattered. The stories that will be told about the memories of Tom are endless.
Tom Rohr was a tremendous person who succeeded in life in so many ways. A potter, a teacher, a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle and a friend. He will be missed. Tom Turned me on to Dave Matthews way back when Under The table and dreaming came out. He told me this guy is gonna be big. He loaned me the CD and I never gave it back.
Roll out down to midnight
Then roll on downtown ’til it’s light
Because tomorrow we may die
Oh, but tonight we’re dancing in the faint light
Don’t you rob yourself of what you’re feeling
Don’t rob yourself of all that you could be
Roll hard ’til midnight
Roll ’til it’s light
Come on now
Stay up and make some memories
Yeah, with us now
Roll the red carpet out with friends
To whom, to love and roll on
Dave Matthews Band
Rest in peace Thomas
You are loved
John “ Scrawney Moroni” Moran
I met Tom in 9th grade math at South High School. He used to joke that I got him through high school math. This always made me laugh because anyone who know Tom knew how incredibly smart he was. He certainly didn’t need my help in math or any other subject for that matter. We then went on to the University of Michigan together. I didn’t see him much but when I did he was always like a breath of fresh air. His positive, upbeat outlook on life always made me smile. He was one of the people who I looked forward to catching up with at our high school reunions. I was impressed that he had followed his passion and seemed incredibly happy. I know he will be missed and I feel very lucky to have known him.
Greatly enjoyed Tom’s summer 2008 workshop in Calgary, Canada. Deepest sympathy to Tom’s family.
siento profundamente la perdida de mi gran amigo Tom.el fue una inspiracion en mi vida y siempre estara conmigo.el tiempo que estube en su casa con Kat y Tom fue una de las mejores etapas de mi vida.mi corazon siempre estara contigo mi gran AMIGO.donde estes seras siempre recordado.desde Barcelona we love you
strap yerself with a tree with roots …..a tree with a little wild bird that blasts in and lands in our limbs and finds a comfortable perch. a bird with wings.a bird that reeks of valor and JOY! a bird that can levitate and celebrate with us down here. little bird to help us suck the keg dry till the next arrives………… a bird to alert us to the color of the sky, the color of the berries, the flutter of our hearts. fly,fly,fly into the sky
I just heard this news and am completely stunned. My deepest wishes for healing to his family. Tom was so full of life and made the most beautiful pots. I knew him from LSU and again in Alaska – wherever Tom went there was a good time to be had – food, beer, and fantastic energetic conversation. I’m just shocked, I can’t believe he’s gone. What a huge loss to the world.
I was at the University of Michigan with “T Rohr” for two years. There are some people in this world who just shine a little brighter than the rest of us. Tom was one of those. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
Thank you Tom for lighting a fire in my hands and in my heart. I wish I could have done and shared more with you before you left your body. I can hope you had soft hands from the salve I left for you. Forever I will remember your nurturing ambiance and I will build on the strong foundation you provided.
Sweet Kathryn, Russ and I have been in shock since we found out about Tom’s passing. It has been so long since we’ve connected but you both are so dear to us and always in our hearts. We send you our love and soothing prayers. May you feel his loving spirit always close.
While Tom’s spirit will continue to lift us and inspire us, his earthly presence will be missed tremendously. Our love goes with you on your spirit journey, Tom! Until we meet again…
with love,
Mija, Russ and Raven
When I think of Tom there is just so much that happens in my mind and in my heart. Everything just wants to come out at once when I think about him and the time I spent as his student at LCC. I honestly cannot spit out a coherent thought about just how much this has rocked my life. I still cannot come to grips with Tom being gone.
Seems like just yesterday I saw Tom at the student employee art show at LCC and he walked me down to the new kilns to show me all of the progress they had been making since I’d left. He was so great that way — always wanting to show off the things his students were making. He was so proud of all the things we created yet critical and supportive.
My God. I can’t believe you’re gone, my friend. You were always the reason I had for stopping by LCC. I loved just stopping in and saying hi and having your good vibes, ideas and aura rub off off on me.
To Tom’s family and loved ones: I wish you all the best and offer my most sincere condolences.
Tom: Rest in peace and know you’ve left a considerable imprint on my life. I will miss you very much and think of you whenever I think about all the great ways you enjoyed life. You will never be forgotten.
Love
Isaac Viel
It really is true that Tom was our friend. For me at least he has always been and always be an inspiration. I have always cherished Tom’s energy and passion for everything he did. Hell, I always miss him. Makin’ pots I often think of his direction, what he would think of something, how he was quick to be of assistance. My heart goes out to you Katherine, I hope you can spend time with friends and family and think back to all the good times.
Jerm
It really is true that Tom was our friend. For me at least he has always been and always be an inspiration. I have always cherished Tom’s energy and passion for everything he did. Hell, I always miss him. Makin’ pots I often think of his direction, what he would think of something, how he was quick to be of assistance. My heart goes out to you Kathryn, I hope you can spend time with friends and family and think back to all the good times.
Jerm
I only met Tom through his work. He sent some amazing pieces to our 2009 NCECA cup show, and of all the works I coveted, his were the pieces I added to my own collection. Now I’m even more honored, and humbled, to have even a small part of his gift.
Dear Kathryn,
Our only connection is that I have a beautiful flower brick from you from an NCECA several years ago and that I see you at Bob Briscoe’s for the St. Croix pottery event. Because your pot holds flowers often at my home, I think of you every time I see it. When I heard about Tom’s passing–I was at Anderson Ranch after you had come and gone–my heart filled with sadness at your sadness of now being without your partner. As I read the love that has come your way through the comments above, I see he was a wonderful, bigger-than-life man who will be sorely missed by many. I just wanted to reach out too and say my thoughts are with you.
Lovingly,
Linda
Even though I didn’t know Tom very long (and not long enough) I feel really lucky to have known him at all. He was a great teacher, I took drawing from him last year. I’ve never had a teacher who was so invested in his student’s work, or one so excited about what I was capable of. He always encouraged me to finish my work–which I didn’t do very often. He was funny, witty, and had GREAT taste in music. We talked about music a lot, and he turned me onto some really amazing artists. I will probably think about him when I listen to them now. What an amazing person—such a loss for the rest of us. I found out today going back to school that he had passed on. I had signed up for his ceramics class and was surprised not to see him, and very sad. Bye Tom! Thanks for everything. I promise to finish what I start.
I frequently hear Tom’s voice in the back of my head giving me pointers and tips on how to be a better ceramics artist. I stop and think to myself, I’m so grateful I had the chance to learn from such an enthusiastic person who loved what he did and wanted to share everything he knew with others. He was by far one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He helped me and pushed me unlike anyone else and I will miss him always. I’ll never forget to put my pieces in “the sweet spot” to “get the lovin on.” As Tom would put it. Thank you Tom, I wouldn’t be where I am as an artist without you.
Today we’ll order appetizers and raise our steins
with three cheers for our favorite bierstein maker
Tommy, we’re still singing your praises and holding you close
to our hearts which still overflow with love for you
Shine bright and shine on all over us!
Tom…… what a guy…. you will be missed..