• Artist, Teacher, Cowgirl
Loretta was born in San Pedro, CA June 19, 1946, and grew up in the house on Redondo's Garnet Street that her parents, Albert and Kathleen Roth, had recently built. She died in first hour of June 7th, 2016 in San Bernardino.
She attended St. James Elementary School and graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School in 1964. In that year she also made her debut at the Las Damas Pan-Americanas Ball at the Beverly Hilton (sans cowboy boots!). She received her BA in Art from Marymount College, then in Rancho Palos Verdes, along with her Masters in Fine Art from CSU-Long Beach.
Loretta taught for three years in the LA City Unified School District, then transferred to Montclair High School in the Chaffee District, where she taught drawing, painting, illustration & computer skills for 32 years. She served as Chair of the school Fine Arts Department and Yearbook Advisor. Loretta also managed the Los Angeles County Fair Student Artist Exhibition for over 20 years.
As a distinguished artist in her own right, her murals, paintings and drawings were honored in local, state & national exhibitions. A fine early mural (done with friends Michael and Susan) is that of the “Beasts of the Garden of Eden” inside the Harvard Square shops at the corner of Harvard and Bonita Streets in Claremont.
Loretta thought that the best thing about teaching was the opportunity to reach out to talented kids and show them that their artistic talent gave a road to the future. She was thrilled when learning of their successes which weren't just linked to fame, but that their lives had room for beauty.
Loretta learned to ride horses not too long after she could walk. She owned her first horse, Babe at about 12 and never looked back. She rode semi-pro rodeo during high school and college. As the painter George Stubbs was her ideal, she spent long hours drawing horses, often in the wide open spaces which as an ardent environmentalist, she loved so much. She also thought it “karma” to learn that the sweet little house she bought in Claremont was the childhood home of “Miss Kitty” (actress Amanda Blake) from the “Gunsmoke” TV shows.
Besides her parents, Loretta was predeceased by her brother, Michael. Surviving her are her siblings Maggie, Josette, John and Albert; her aunt, Georgia Marshall; cousin George Marshall; her sister-in-law Cheryl Volk Roth; and nieces and nephews Kayla and Brian Roth and Paul Bishop. She is also survived by her dear cats, Juno, Josephina & Annie Laurie.
The family also wishes to thank Moreen & Bob Ohs and Silvia Martinez for all their kindnesses. Also thanks to Dr. Simon Lo, Helena and all of the staff at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for giving her the gift of time. We will miss her greatly, while cherishing the moments we had together over the years.
Services for Loretta are as follows:
• Mass – Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Hermosa Beach, CA on Monday 6/20/16 at 10am
• Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, CA directly afterwards
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