Artist's life affirms Mission

Four months ago, artist Ray Daub started living on his own again.

He’d spent three years at the Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington, conquering addiction and rediscovering his craft. He’d recently taken on two new art projects. He also had hopes of raising money to create a sculpture outside the mission that would speak to the second chance it gives men like him.

Daub, who died at age 61 on Saturday, never reached that goal, but people close to him said the challenges he faced spoke more to the purpose of the Breakfast Mission than any statue ever could.

“I wish someone had supplied those funds,” said the Rev. Tom Laymon, president and CEO of the Breakfast Mission. “But folks, even if he created that sculpture, would that have served as a greater testament to him than what his life was? No.”

Family and friends gathered Thursday in the sanctuary of the Breakfast Mission – which provides food, shelter, counseling and training to homeless people – to mourn and celebrate Daub and remember his often difficult journey through life.

Years before he arrived at the Breakfast Mission, Daub was a successful artist with the help of his then-wife and fellow sculptor, Mary Wimberly.

With a studio in Newport, Daub and Wimberly worked as a team from 1985-2000. Their talents complemented each other – Wimberly excelled at creating a sculpture’s basic structure and form. Daub enjoyed adding texture and detail.

Daub’s most successful projects included a statue of baseball star Mickey Vernon in Marcus Hook, Pa., a depiction of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in a window of the Macy’s in Philadelphia and an exhibit at the National Christmas Center in Lancaster County, Pa.

In addition to his artistic talent, friends and family described Daub as a likeable, “mischievous prankster” who brought joy to people around him.

But all of that masked a sadness that Daub couldn’t shake.

“It was a battleground underneath in his heart,” Wimberly said. “I don’t think he knew how much people loved him. He didn’t always know how to accept love.”