Clyde’s sculptor of snow memorializes Jose Leal

Greg Sherman, Clyde’s supreme sculptor of snow, is in his glory this winter. The recent snowfalls have given him an opportunity to showcase his talents.

“It’s my hobby, I love doing it,” he said about his sculptures, “I’m doing it for everyone to look at. People ask if I’m crazy or what, to work out in the cold, and I tell them when it snows I have to do (sculpt) it. ”

His latest and most impressive is a tall sculpture honoring the late Jose R. Leal, Jr., a 21-year-old Clyde High School graduate killed in an auto accident a week ago. The sculpture is facing the student parking lot at CHS, where the funeral was held Saturday.

Sherman said he sculpted it at the request of family members.

“I usually don’t do memorials,” he said. “I wait for them to come to me.”

The memorial at CHS is one of the largest he has done. Sherman first asked school officials for permission. “They said whatever you need, we will do it.” School employees spent four hours hauling snow from the parking lot with a back hoe to the sculpture area.

“There was so much ice in it, but it was still manageable to work with,” Sherman said.

The sculpture contains an oversize replica of Leal’s basketball jersey, a basketball and baseball. The jersey has sprouted angel’s wings, a suggestion from a co-worker at Whirlpool.

“People throw ideas at me all the time at my job when I ask what can I do next,” he said.

To continue working to reach the top of the memorial sculpture, Sherman started by carving out a four foot ledge to stand on later. Sherman said his best time to work with snow is about 3 p.m., while the sun is shining after his workday ends at Whirlpool Corp. He said if snow has sat a long time before he works on it, it has turned to ice or is slushy to dig through.

He spray paints his sculptures after the sun has set. Paint is expensive. Often bystanders will hand him money for paint in appreciation for his talents.

“I want them to know that I appreciate the money for paint, it helps me out and I can keep on doing it. I do it for me, not for the money,” he said, but it (donations) helps me out a lot.

He buys his paint in Clyde and prefers to use brighter colors. He often goes back the next day to touch up his paint job.

One evening last week he touched up the paint on five deer he had sculpted on the corner of Birdseye Street and McPherson Highway. He had placed real deer antlers on their heads and someone drove up during the night and stole them.

“I’m doing (sculpting) it for everybody to look at, and somebody stole the antlers,” he said.

Sherman enjoys seeing the expressions on people’s faces while they watch him work. He only uses a shovel, his hands and a knife similar to a putty scraper. One year he sculpted a huge dragon in front of Clyde Elementary School.

“The expressions on the kids faces watching me was priceless,” he said. “The boys asked if they could climb on it.”

Recently he sculpted valentines on the lawn of the Alzheimer unit at Elmwood in Fremont. “Residents sat at the window and watched,” he said.

He learned later that one of the residents had posted a picture of him working in her room. “I thought it was cool,” he said.

Sherman said he gets daily requests for sculptures at residences, but can’t honor all. He prefers to do his work where it can be seen the most, occasionally venturing outside the community to Tiffin and Fremont.

“I’ll keep on doing it until I’m gone,” he said.

Sherman has photos of his sculptures on his Facebook page. There is a smaller Leal memorial at Ole’ Skook Body Shop on McPherson Highway.

Library events

“Getting Started Woodcarving” with Jim Andrews will be at 6:30 p.m. March 10. Andrews has been 40 years a painter in watercolor, oil, and pen and ink. He has taught watercolor classes at Terra Community College for 11 years. He watched his brother carving about seven years ago and decided to give it a try. More information and registration is available by visiting clydelibrary.org, or calling 419-547-7174.

“Getting Started Postcard Collecting” with Firelands Postcard Club will be at 6:30 p.m. March 12. Several members of the club, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, will display some of their collections and give tips on collecting. Local collector John Sanford will join Jim Semon of Westlake, co-author of “The Clydesdale Motor Truck Company,” and Bill Knadler of Norwalk, who collects stock certificates.

“Getting Started in Tabletop Role Play Gaming” with Nick Goodhand has been rescheduled to noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Goodhand has been playing DnD, as the classic Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game is called, for a number of years. He will cover the basics of that plus other games of imagination.

Lenten luncheons

The second in a series of Lenten Luncheons will be at noon at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Forest St. The message will be the “Last Supper” by Pastor Marshall Crawford, There is no charge for the meal, but donation baskets are at the door. Proceeds benefit the Clyde, Green Springs, Vickery Ministerial Association, who help the less fortunate in our communities.

Fish fry

St. Mary’s Catholic Church is holding its fish fry from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, featuring all-you-can-eat Alaskan walleye, potato, salad and beverage. Carryouts are available.

Jeanette Liebold-Ricker’s column appears each Tuesday. Write her at 1134 N. Main, Clyde OH 43410; call 419-547-8177; or email jlricker@ambt.net.