Robert Carskaddan "Bob" Bishop
Marriages
Norma Ann Steinacker - November 30, 1958
In Parkville, Missouri
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5A Obituary - October 21, 2017
Robert "Bob" Carskaddan
Bishop, a well-known
landscape photographer, of
Grand Junction, died
September 21, 2017, at 96.
Bob was born February 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.
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, California 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 November 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; brotherin-
law, Leonard Stanford Pani in 2005; father-in-law, Rudy
Steinacker in 1967; mother-in-law, Rubye Steinacker in 1951
and sister-in-law, Marian Fine in 2009.
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.
A memorial service will be held at Western Colorado Center
for the Arts, today, October 21 at 3:00 p.m. Burial at Orchard
Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction. Arrangements made by
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
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.
