Beatrice Turek Robinson, age 88, passed away peacefully at her home in Rehoboth, Massachusetts on the 28th day of February 2025. Born in New York, New York on February 16, 1937, she was the daughter of the late Sol and Marjorie (Johnson) Turek. The family later moved to Oradell, New Jersey. After graduating from the local high school, Bea followed her dream to attend Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration – Class of 1958.
There she excelled in her work, primarily drawings of flora and fauna. Her love of nature and all habitats became her life’s work.
As she explored the City of Providence and its numerous offerings from tree-lined streets and neighborhood parks to centuries old gravestones, monuments and buildings, waterways and railroad bridges to modern skyscrapers, all sightings became potential illustrations. Raindrops on a leaf or a weed poking through a crevice in a cracked foundation or sidewalk were most desirable.
As an underclassman, Beatrice entered and won the 1957 Miss Rhode Island beauty pageant, a prelude to the Miss America pageant. For the talent portion of the competition, she showcased and described numerous pieces of her artwork, a unique opportunity that defined her artistic ability for the next seven decades.
After her reign as Miss Rhode Island ended, Beatrice met and married Dr. Mendel Robinson, an otolaryngologist at The Miriam Hospital in Providence. Together, they raised two children on the East Side of Providence. In 1972, the family moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts. As the children got older, Bea was active in their lives. Her daughter, Anna, was an equestrian and her son, Charles (Chip) was a published author.
Bea drew numerous portraits of her daughter’s horses in various stances or movements. Some became framed memories, while others were reproduced as notecards or small framed works. She was the primary illustrator in her son’s magazine articles and books, which included Native Americans, ghosts, plants, landscapes and various animals. Bea found peace in her surroundings of native animals and plants of all types that could be found in the woods, fields, streams, and ponds around her property. Her prized yellow-naped Amazon parrot, Pepe, is now sixty-one years old and mimics Bea’s voice so well that most people cannot distinguish his voice from her voice when not looking at them.
Besides Bea’s parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Mendel Robinson, her son, Charles T. “Chip” Robinson and her sister-in-law, Judith “Judy” Turek. She is survived by her daughter, Anna Robinson, her brother, Stephen Turek, nieces, Diane Turek and Deborah Turek Montenegro and nephew, Stephen Turek. She also leaves behind numerous friends, including her college roommate.
A private burial will take place in Sharon Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Town of Rehoboth, Animal Welfare Fund, 340 Anawan Street, Rehoboth, Massachusetts 02769 or to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, Rhode Island 02917.
