CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. – Delbert “Cigar” Daisey, a Delmarva legend and world-renown waterfowl wood carver, died Wednesday at the age of 89.
Daisey lived and worked in Chincoteague and was the resident wood carver at the Refuge Waterfowl Museum.
Cigar’s work is known for its functionality and its artistry, with decoys featured in the Smithsonian and in publications like National Geographic.
Roe Terry is a wood carver in Chincoteague who says he learned just about everything the craft requires from Cigar.
“I think most every carver who’s younger than him learned something from Cigar,” Terry said. “He was always my hero as far as a carver.”
Cigar was a regular at AJ’s On the Creek in Chincoteague, where his name is forever branded at the bar where his favorite seat was. Tina Green served him for the past 20 years.
“He made you laugh all the time,” Green said. “He could tell you stories from way back when on the island and you just wanted to hear more.”
One of the most valuable pieces Cigar ever made was a gift for his wife in 1973. It is the only decorative decoy he has ever made and is estimated to be worth $150,000.
