Artist Zan Lombardo paints the motorhome on loan to Bob “Willy-Bob” DeClue. PHOTO PROVIDED

According to Pine Island artist Zan Lombardo, Bob DeClue, known to most as Willy-Bob, used to live on a boat in Matlacha. Hurricane Ian left DeClue homeless, at least temporarily.

“He was the one that was cooking for a couple of months at That Barbecue Place — he’s a very giving guy. Even though he’s homeless, he was still helping other people out,” Lombardo said.

Contractor Mike Cosentino, from Sarasota, who was on the island working on post-hurricane restoration, stopped at That Barbecue Place for lunch, Lombardo said. After a conversation with DeClue, in which Cosentino learned that DeClue had lost his home, he left and soon returned with a 1968, 37-foot Dodge Travco Motorhome that he gave to DeClue to use as long as he needed it.

“He said, you can use this indefinitely, until you get yourself situated again,” Lombardo said.

Although Lombardo would not have described the vintage motorhome’s original condition as attractive, she said it was safe and functional, even equipped with air conditioning.

Artist Zan Lombardo -- with some help from three other local artists; Amanda McMahon, Mary Lewis Sheehan, and Sue Dahod -- painted the motorhome on loan to Bob “Willy-Bob” DeClue. PHOTO PROVIDED

“It was livable, but it looked like a Twinkie,” Lombardo said.

While Lombardo was eating lunch at That Barbecue Place, she said DeClue, who likes her artwork, showed her the bus and told her to paint it.

“I power-washed it and sanded it with a rotary sander and then power-washed it again – painted the whole thing with exterior latex and then got some caveats from Mike Cosentino about the finished artwork,” Lombardo said.

Cosentino told her he didn’t want anything controversial on the motorhome; nothing political, nothing religious and no swear words, she said. Being an islander, Lombardo said mangroves came quite naturally to her. She did most of the artwork herself, but also enlisted the help of three other local artists — Amanda McMahon, Mary Lewis Sheehan, and Sue Dahod.

Combining their talents with Cosentino’s instructions, Lombardo and friends created what she describes as a beautiful hippie bus for DeClue, who she describes as both a nice person and beloved figure in the Matlacha community.

Artist Zan Lombardo -- with some help from three other local artists; Amanda McMahon, Mary Lewis Sheehan, and Sue Dahod -- painted the motorhome on loan to Bob “Willy-Bob” DeClue. PHOTO PROVIDED

“It’s very sweet, how the community came together around Bob — people keep coming to him and using him as a sounding board, because he’s a good listener. People kept coming in to see him all the time. I was concerned that he might be lonely, but while I was painting, a constant stream of people were coming in and out talking to him and he was just listening — he was really wonderful about that — they brought him a Christmas tree, they brought him decorations, they brought him Christmas lights,” Lombardo said.

With an old vintage motorhome, that now reads peace, passion, paradise in Matlacha, DeClue currently lives on the island in a traveling creation, festooned by local artists with love.

The Before: Artist Zan Lombardo -- with some help from three other local artists; Amanda McMahon, Mary Lewis Sheehan, and Sue Dahod -- painted the motorhome on loan to Bob “Willy-Bob” DeClue. PHOTO PROVIDED