Gary Robert Cox: Photographer, Homesteader, Farmer’s Garden

This section includes announcements of important events in our lives–births, graduations, engagements, marriages, and deaths. If you want to share an event with your community, please send a photo and a written piece to [email protected].

Gary Robert Cox
June 20, 1941 – April 15, 2026

Gary was born and raised in upstate New York, where he graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in photography. He made his way to California in the 1960s, first to Big Sur, then Bodega Bay, and eventually to Whale Gulch, where he found the space to discover and grow into his most authentic self. Gary was a homesteader through and through.

Gary was a photographer by training, an artist at heart, a well driller and heavy machine operator by trade, and always a gardener. He loved compost, horse manure, and organic vegetable gardening above all else, earning him the CB handle “Farmer’s Garden” back in the days before everyone transitioned to phones. In seasons when the garden produced more than his family could use, he shared the abundance with the local school.

He was deeply passionate about black-and-white photography. Trips to the Southwest to photograph petroglyphs, Pyramid Lake, expansive landscapes and anything that caught his eye would culminate in hours that turned into days in his darkroom. The darkroom was his quiet place, where he carefully transformed light and shadow into images. Many of these are treasured by his family today.

A resident of Whale Gulch since 1974, Gary built his own home and lived life on his own terms. His love for the community was felt by many. He especially loved sharing his passion for gardening and homesteading with young people, a tradition he continued with his grandchildren and other youth in the community.

Gary is survived by his partner, Karen Trotter; his children, South, Olin, and Yana; and a gaggle of grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.

Please join us for an end-of-life celebration on July 11 at 1 p.m. in The Meadow. Please bring a dish to share and a memory of Gary, and leave with a photograph.