Owensboro native and avid artist Jacob Payne died on June 11 after he was struck by an automobile in Lexington. Just 2 days prior, the contents of his storage unit, including most of his artwork, were auctioned off due to missed payments. His mother, Jennifer Payne, is asking for help from the community to locate those art pieces.
“It’s just tragic. His siblings received a Snapchat from him a few hours before, and he was in a good mood,” Payne said. “He was working to join an artist group in Lexington.”
Jacob’s belongings were stored at Owensboro Self Storage at 2076 Endeavour Court, just off Southtown Boulevard. Payne said the unit’s contents were auctioned off on June 8, but that’s all the info she has.
“We would love to have his artwork to share with our family and the community,” she said. “We actually had an art show at the funeral home and would love to have another one.”
Payne said they last saw Jacob, 27, at her daughter’s graduation party in mid-May, and he was in great spirits. She said he was always a spirited individual, full of joy and life.
Payne is grateful for the community’s support and plans to use their donations to donate a bed in his honor at St. Benedict’s. They also intend to purchase a bench for the Greenbelt because that is where he would paint several of his pieces.
She asks anyone with additional information on the belongings to contact her on Facebook here.
“We appreciate everyone’s help and prayers – our community is amazing,” Payne said. “We’ve had several family members from California and Connecticut, and everyone is so impressed by the respect and support the community has extended. It means so much to me. People know we lost a treasure.”
