HOBOKEN — Ronnie Dale 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.
Dale said as a young boy he asked God to give him something to do and whittling proved to be the answer to his prayers.
Dale said he has a very simple objective when it comes to whittling.
“I’m not in it to make money,” said Dale. “I do it to stay busy and I like to give it to people.”
One way Dale 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.
Dale also mentioned his walking sticks are freely given away if someone really needs one. However, if someone wanted to buy one he would charge $10$20.
Dale 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, he also visited other areas such as Fernandina, Chattahoochee and Atlanta.
Prior to this, Dale 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, Dale also held a position at Rayonier in Jesup switching pump mills.
Dale 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 through Dale, and Caleb and Claire through Chad.
For more information on Dale’s work, he is located at 11135 Central Avenue in Hoboken and his number is (912) 6143830. Please call in advance before coming to see him.
