Prolific Cortez carver decides to call it a day, sells collection of thousands of birds

CORTEZ -- After artfully carving and painting thousands of realistic wooden birds of all kinds, including decoys and bobbers, 94-year-old Bob Lee has decided enough is enough.

Bowing to age, health concerns, and, well, lack of space, this week he sold the bulk of his collection, about 2,300 wooden birds, to a local antiques dealer.

"My father was an industrial arts teacher, and I learned carving from him. I started out making decoys and then I branched out from there," Lee said.

Although bird carving has been a life-long hobby, Lee turned his full attention to it only after retiring as a home builder, and serving in the Navy as an F4U-4 Corsair fighter pilot during World War II, and later moving on to jets.

"I flew long enough that I flew hot pipes," he said.

Lee's wife of 70 years, Eleanor, fully supported her husband's bird carving, although the wooden figures came to dominate their home, lining the walls of their garage and filling several rooms.

"I was all for it. He had to have something to do when he retired," she said.

Bob Lee quips that his hobby "kept me out of the saloon."

Lee refined his skill by studying books and learning from national champion carver Harry Ross.

Bob and Eleanor became fixtures at art shows, including Anna Maria Island's Winterfest and Springfest.

His focus was on shore birds, songbirds, and field birds, and he made them in all sizes.

Among the thousands of birds in his collection, his favorite is a woodcock. There is a lot of work in the small bird because of the way nature designed the feathers, and the long, narrow bill, he said.

Over the years, his best seller has been the cardinal.

A professional magician, Chandler , who is a neighbor, has become best friends with Bob and Eleanor Lee.

"There was no way to move over there," Chandler said of the overcrowding because of the wooden birds. "The concern was what becomes of 40 years of work? He has probably sold as many birds as you see here."

Eleanor Lee said she won't miss the birds, despite their beauty.

"It has become a problem, and because of how old we are," she said.

The Lees will keep a small showroom of birds, but the bulk of the collection has been purchased by Antiques Gallery of Sarasota.

Donna Terzian, who helped put the Lees in contact with Antiques Gallery, and Chandler agree that Bob Lee is unique.

Even into his 80s, Lee would help a neighbor with electrical or plumbing problems, and showed his physical strength by climbing a tree with a chain saw to trim a limb, or carry a piece of sheet-rock to repair a wall.

"There aren't any more Bob Lees out there," Chandler said.

James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Prolific Cortez carver decides to call it a day, sells collection of thousands of birds ."