Quincy University honors distinguished art professor and well-known Quincy artist, Robert (Bob) Lee Mejer, who passed away on July 5 in Quincy, IL.
Quincy University honors distinguished art professor and well-known Quincy artist, Robert (Bob) Lee Mejer, who passed away on July 5 in Quincy, IL.
Bob was a distinguished professor of art at Quincy University for 57 years. He founded and served as curator of the Gray Gallery in the Brenner Library at QU.
He was a signature charter member of the National Watercolor Society. In June of 2025, the Watercolor USA Honor Society selected Bob as their 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. He was a distinguished master of the Transparent Watercolor Society of North America and a master fellowship member of the International Society of Experimental Artists.
Bob’s work was shown in over 65 solo exhibitions and accepted for over 500 juried exhibitions. His artwork was published, reproduced and/or reviewed in over 200 publications, and he was selected as visiting artist and lecturer for over 80 exhibitions. In 2024, Bob’s watercolor Impulse III was exhibited at the Fabriano in Watercolor USA 2024 in Fort Worth, TX, the largest watercolor exhibition in the country. He was one of 20 artists to represent the U.S. along with artists from 80 countries.
Bob was born on November 8, 1944, in South Bend, IN, the son of Vincent Frank and Marion Elaine Jewett Mejer. He was a graduate of St. Joseph High School in South Bend. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and earned his master’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH.
Survivors include a brother, Vince M. (Fran) Mejer of Lincoln, NE; his significant other, Sue Archambo of Quincy; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Vincent Frank Mejer and Marion Elaine Mejer; a son, Jason Dillard Mejer; and a sister, Barbara K. Velleman.
Per his wishes, Bob Mejer’s services will be private with burial at Greenmount Cemetery with Fr. John Doctor, QU vice president for mission and ministry, officiating.
The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Quincy University (for the Robert Lee & Jason Dillard Mejer Visual Arts Award Scholarship) or to the Quincy Art Center (for children’s education in visual arts). Memorial donations may be made online at https://memorials.hansenspear.com
A memorial service will be held in August after summer break.
Related Content
