HOBOKEN — Ronnie Dale Lee has a tremendous passion for whittling that goes back a very long way. He started taking on the endeavor somewhere between the ages of 10 to 12.
He said as a young boy he asked God to give him something to do and whittling proved to be the answer to his prayers.
Lee said he has a very simple objective when it comes to whittling.
“I’m not in it to make money,” said Lee. “I do it to stay busy and I like to give it to people.”
One way Lee said he likes to help others is by reaching out to them when a close friend or spouse has passed away. He will whittle them a bouquet of flowers instead of buying some as a gift.
Some of his projects have included making walking sticks, knives and even animals ranging from birds to turtles. He even has a cow stick and a device specifically designed for catching alligators.
Lee also mentioned his walking sticks are freely given away if someone really needs one. However, if someone wanted to buy on he would charge $10--$20.
Lee has been whittling his time away the last 20 years after retiring as a railroad conductor on the Brunswick Local. He would make trips between Savannah, Waycross and Jacksonville.
During his time with the Brunswick Local, Lee also visited other areas such as Fernandina, Chattahoochee and Atlanta.
Prior to this, Lee served two years in the Army in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the artillery. He entered the Army January 1, 1966 and was honorably discharged Christmas Day of 1967.
For approximately 15 years, Lee also held a position at Rayonier in Jesup switching pump mills.
Lee married his wife, Adrian, in 1969. They have three children, Cecile, Dale and Chad. They have seven grandchildren, Emily, Lauren and Zoe through Cecile, Shane and Addie, and Caleb and Claire through Chad.
For more information on Lee’s work, he is located at 11135 Central Avenue in Hoboken and his number is (912) 614-3830. Please call in advance before coming to see him.
