The Daily World has always given excellent coverage to area tragedies which immediately generate community support for the victims. I’m writing now about a large fire that occurred on July 14 in Montesano on East Pioneer, just before the ballfield and the Moose Lodge. I’m sure many people noticed the unusual signs and other old collectibles at the shop which once stood there. The remains are still there and are hard to ignore. So is the man whose studio was in that building and who lost everything he owned.

Sign painter Delmar Mullen works in the “lost art method: talent, free-hand layout with paintbrushes; nothing digital.” His work is well-known nationwide and he’s trying now to get back to work in a cedar shed he placed in the parking lot across the road from the fire, near the agro-forestry building with the hitching post.

This man has known serious misfortune before having lost all of his immediate family to tragedies in less than one year. He says, “I’m not a whiner, but I’m alone now and it’s no secret that America is in a dark shadow — has been for some time, and then Corona strikes! Well, I need to paint/do artwork to keep my thinking positive! If you can help me with any amount, I would be so grateful.”

Those who are able to help this talented man can contribute to the “Delmar Mullen Fire Fundraiser” at the Montesano branch of Umpqua Bank. In addition to financial help, Del’s immediate need is for insulation for his new shop before winter sets in. Please call me at 360-249-5364 for further information. Thank you!

Kitty Mady

Montesano