Robert J. Collignon

Robert J. “Bob” Collignon (as an artist, stylized bobCollignon), aged 70 years old, passed peacefully at home the morning of Tuesday September 22 2026. Bob is survived by his wife of 44 very rich years, Linda “Sweetie” (nee Kissel) Collignon, son Robert Maxwell Collignon, daughter-in-law Lauren (nee George) Collignon, grandson Marcus George Collignon, sister Reneé Collignon, mother-in-law Diane (nee Eberz) Kissel, and his beloved dog Rudi Valentino and granddog Bear. He is also survived by his brothers-in-law Ray and Joe Kissel; niece and nephew Isabella and Julian; uncle John Michno; cousins John and Richelle, Elijah, Sheri and Cheryl, James, Tom, Karen and Kent, and Candy; and the many friends, students, neighbors, and colleagues who loved and respected him.

Born 1956 in Buffalo NY to the late Robert E. “Bob” and Julia “June” (nee Michno) Collignon, raised in Syracuse NY, Bob returned to Buffalo for his undergraduate studies at Buffalo State College in 1978. He remained a proud Buffalonian the rest of his life (Go Bills! Go Sabres!).

Among Bob’s many interests and hobbies, photography was his calling, in trade and passion. Bob started and ran a successful and award-winning professional photography studio for 35 years, Collignon/Jarosz Photography, with partner and friend David Jarosz. He was curator and later assistant director at CEPA Gallery from 1980 to 1985, where he made many lifelong friends. Bob was the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts CAPS grant and a New York State Council on the Arts Sponsored Project for his photography, two of many honors he received in his career. Bob’s photography can be found in the permanent collections of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly Albright-Knox Gallery), the Burchfield Penney Art Center, and numerous other public and private collections.

Later in his career Bob taught photography as an adjunct professor, first at Daemen College and then at Buffalo State University in 2018. At Buff State, he was a valued member of the faculty and ran the photography program there. He freely shared his talents and vast knowledge of commercial and art photography with his students and colleagues, as well as the history of photography as an art, science, and craft. Bob remained in the lives of many of his former students and mentees, celebrating their growth as photographers, artists, and people.

Bob had a lifelong passion for military history and building plastic models, winning numerous prestigious national and international awards for his armor dioramas. His artistic and historic rigor were evident in his detailed and skillfully built dioramas, always with some little-known historic detail or hidden element for those who knew. He wrote cover stories for national modeling magazines including Fine Scale Modeling Magazine. Bob was a longterm and active member of the local model building club, International Plastic Modelers’ Society (IPMS) Niagara Frontier, making many lifelong friends there. Bob served as president for many years and helped organize the BuffCon Show and other plastic model conventions. Under his leadership the club won numerous regional and national Chapter of the Year awards. Bob was also personally honored as an IPMS Region 1 Member of the Year in 2006. He was also an active member of the Armor Model & Preservation Society (AMPS), and was an AMPS Master Modeler. Through IPMS Niagara Frontier, Bob was active with the club’s weekly kid’s plastic model building class, teaching and encouraging many young plastic modelers.

Professionally, Bob built models with friend Dick Schulenberg for General Motors; the exhibit “Ghosts: French Holocaust Children” for friend, artist, and historian Bob Hirsch; and the Old Fort Niagara Historic Site, along with friend Tom Faith and other members of the IPMS club. The model they built of Old Fort Niagara (as it would have appeared in 1780) is on permanent display there.

Bob was an avid angler, spending many happy summer and fall days fishing with his father, son, and fishing buddies in Central and Western New York and Ontario. He was very excited at the prospect of fishing with his grandson Marcus.

Up at his parents’ camp in Pulaski NY and on fishing trips up to Lake Nipissing, cribbage was the activity of the evening; Bob played many a cribbage game with his father and fishing buddies. At family gatherings in WNY, Bob could often be found playing cribbage with his late father-in-law Raymond P. Kissel. After Ray’s passing, son Max took up the tradition with his father Bob.

Bob was also an adept gardener, his artistic and aesthetics tastes evident in his eclectic English-style garden, appreciated by many in his neighborhood. Neighbors would often stop and chat with him when he was out in the garden. Bob especially loved growing hostas and several varieties of garlic, the latter of which was enjoyed by the many he shared it with.

Bob was an admirer and collector of antique and vintage items, and was well known as a vendor at the Peddler’s Flea Market in Elmwood Village, Shawnee Country Barns Antique Co-Op, and Our Famous Flea in West Seneca, selling his sundry antique and vintage wares. One of his "vintage passions" was seeking out unusual glass bead necklaces for his late sister-in-law Amy Kissel who used them to create bookmarks and necklaces. Bob’s eclectic nature and maximalist approach to all things that interested him extended to this area of his life as well and he often had an interesting curio to share with others.

An appreciator of books, film, and music, Bob shared these qualities with wife Linda and instilled them in their son Max. When at home, Bob could often be found watching TCM or MeTV with a military history book in hand; he claimed to be able to give both his full attention simultaneously.

Bob was also known for his irreverent and broad sense of humor, garnering internet notoriety for his love of pickles and his weekly celebration of what he dubbed “Weenie Wednesday” on Facebook and Instagram. Another offshoot of his love for history, pop culture, and chuckles galore was his radio broadcast on Think Twice Radio entitled “FOCUS-It’s OverRated” with fellow panelists Robert Raithel, Carl Thiel, Kenny Morgan, and George Grace. They covered a wide variety of topics, from paleontology to poetry, with sharp wit and humor.

His unique sense of humor, direct but kindhearted nature, reliability and thoughtfulness, and generosity with his time and knowledge will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him.

A Remembrance of Bob – A Life in Focus will be held at Book Arts (formerly WNY Book Arts Center) on Friday October 23 2026 from 4pm to 8pm. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Bob’s memory to the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter (friendsofcbas.org/donate), Book Arts (wnybookarts.org/donate), or CEPA Gallery (cepagallery.org/product/donate).