Robert C. Bishop Obituary

Robert (Bob) Carskaddan Bishop, a well-known landscape photographer, of Grand Junction, died Sept. 21, 2017 at 96.

Bob was born Feb. 12, 1921, to Jerome and Marie Bishop in Muscatine, Iowa. He graduated from Muscatine High School where he played the cornet in the band. He was the high school yearbook photographer and had his own darkroom where he learned to develop black and white photography.
He won first place and honorable mention in an amateur photography contest sponsored by the Muscatine Journal in 1940.

Jerome Bishop – Bob’s father-was president and owner of Iowa Pearl Co. in Muscatine. Bob’s grandfather Nicholas Barry Jr. and great grandfather Nicholas Barry Sr. owned Barry Manufacturing and Barry Pulley Co. which had patents on automatic button machines. The Muscatine companies were founded in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Bob received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa in 1943.

After college, Bob worked at Moffett Field in northern California where he served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. His job duties included conducting wind tunnel research on the Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter airplane and aeronautical research on the B-25 Mitchell bomber.

Bob took art, design and architecture courses at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. in 1950-1951. His interest in photography led him to take workshops from Ansel Adams and Minor White in the 1950s.

Bob married Norma Ann Steinacker on Nov. 30, 1958, in Parkville, Mo. They met in Denver when Bob printed some photos for her.

One of Bob’s early assignments was to photograph the first U.S. photography conference in 1951 at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen. A number of high-profile photographers in various photography disciplines attended.
Bob spent more than 60 years photographing landscapes throughout the West for commercial use. Most of his landscape views were in Colorado which he began marketing as color postcards in the late 1950s. His work focused on resort towns with tourists. His photos documented the history of a number of Colorado ski resorts.

In addition to his postcard business, Bob was a consultant to the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park during the 1980s. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. sold his Snowmass Balloon Festival poster in the 1980s. His slide show “Short Haul to Yesterday” – photos of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad trip – was shown in the 1960s.

Bob was a member of the Postcard Distributors Association of North America. He won postcard of the year for several photos from the organization. He also won best action photo of the year from POWDER magazine. He had solo exhibits of his work in Grand Junction and Gunnison. A documentary about his career was recently completed.
Other memberships included the Colorado National Monument Association and Western Colorado Center for the Arts in Grand Junction.

In addition to his photography, Bob, who had a sense of humor, enjoyed hiking, swimming, skiing, traveling, golfing, the outdoors, music and genealogy. He was proud of his Irish heritage. His pets over the years - a cat, birds, a rabbit and his dog Skeena brought joy to his life.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife Norma in 2016; parents Jerome Bishop in 1980 and Marie Barry Brenizer in 1991; younger sister Mary Helen Bishop Pani in 1958; brother-in-law Leonard Stanford Pani in 2005; father-in-law Rudy Steinacker in 1967; mother-in-law Rubye Steinacker in 1951; sister-in-law Marian Fine in 2009 and brother-in-law Quentin Fine in 2012.

Bob is survived by his daughter Laura Bishop of Grand Junction; nephews Doug Stanford (Adriana), Jay Pani, John Pani (Carolyn Mervis) and Tom Pani (Suzanne); brother-in-law Warren Steinacker (Linda) of Glen Mills, Pa.; nieces Elaine Scott (Sid), Cincy Borne (Hank), Sharon Steinacker, Eileen Fine, Sheryl Fine (John Lewis) and Marilyn Fine (Craig McCracken); and a number of cousins, great nieces and nephews.

Burial was at Orchard Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction. Arrangements were made by Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. A service was held at Saints Mary & Mathias Catholic Church in Muscatine Nov. 3 and a documentary screening at the Muscatine Art Center Nov. 4. An earlier screening and memorial service was held at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts on Oct. 21.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to: Alzheimer’s Association, 2232 N. 7th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501 or Western Colorado Center for the Arts, 1803 N. 7th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501; reference Robert Bishop in donation.

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