Robert Melvin "Bob" Hall

CARTERVILLE - Robert Melvin "Bob" Hall, 86, passed away on March 28, 2025, at his home.

Bob was born on July 15, 1938, in Carbondale. He grew up in Carterville, where he graduated from Carterville High School in 1956. He was part of a family deeply rooted in the community. His father, Mel Hall, owned and operated the family grocery store for two decades, and his mother, Leah Mallory Hall, had been a popular Latin and French teacher at Carterville High School prior to marriage. His aunt, Nora Marie Hall ("Noree"), taught generations of Carterville first-graders to read.

After high school, Bob joined the U.S. Navy. His naval service took him to the Far East and sparked a lifelong fascination with Japanese language and culture. While serving as a Navy photographer, Bob honed the skills that would become central to his professional life. Following his discharge, he pursued formal training at the Westmont School of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, and later studied linguistics and earned his bachelor of arts degree at San Jose State College.

Early in his career, Bob worked with Olin Mills Portrait Photography, traveling extensively to set up make-shift studios in hotel rooms in small towns around the country. It was a great way to relate to ordinary people everywhere, while developing his talents. He especially enjoyed photographing children and using glamour lighting techniques to bring out the charm in women of all ages. This apprenticeship provided a firm foundation for his later career as a freelance photographer. Bob excelled at a wide spectrum of projects, from fine art photography to weddings, journalistic assignments, travel photography, portraits and candids.

Bob's love for Japanese culture led him early in his career to a stint of teaching English to schoolchildren in Japan, and later in life, to work as a representative and interpreter for Toyota, where his fluency in Japanese and familiarity with Japanese culture were put to good use on both sides of the Pacific. He was also active in the Sister Cities program linking San Jose, California and Okayama, Japan, working to further international friendship and understanding.

He was never without his camera.

In retirement, Bob returned to Carterville to be near his aging Aunt Noree. As the proverb goes, he had joined the Navy and seen the world; now he came back to his roots. Not surprisingly, he soon became involved in the International Students' Organization at Southern Illinois University, helping to plan activities, hosting gatherings in his own home, and making many lasting friendships over the years. Another of his favorite retirement pastimes was to shop weekly for produce at the Carbondale Farmer's Market, where he enjoyed conversations with the vendors, many of whom became friends.

Bob was married for a few years to Taeko, his Japanese sweetheart, before they went their separate ways. They had no children. As a bachelor uncle, however, he became actively involved with his nieces and nephews and their children, encouraging their education, celebrating their achievements, photographing both ordinary and special moments in their lives. Family albums are filled with photos by "Uncle Bob."

Bob is survived by four of his six siblings, Eugene Mallory Hall; Patricia Lois "Pat" Hall Maxwell; Peggy Lee Hall Brayfield; and Michael Otis Hall; along with numerous nieces and nephews and their children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin "Mel" Hall and Leah Mallory Hall; his brother Thomas Mervin Hall; and his sister Elizabeth May Hall Rushton.

Bob had many interests beyond photography - music being one. He had a taste for jazz as well as country music; Willie Nelson was a favorite artist. Known for his great sense of humor, Bob once told his niece that he wanted to wear his "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" T-shirt to his funeral - a nod to both Nelson's song and Bob's own irreverent wit.

At his best, Bob was gregarious by nature, and enjoyed meeting new people, sharing ideas and experiences. Whether through his lens or through conversation over fresh produce at the market, he made friends wherever he went.

"Bob" ("Uncle Bob," "Bob-San") Hall will continue to live in the hearts and family albums of those who knew and loved him.