ROCHELLE — Ron Arne thought nothing of helping his neighbors clear their sidewalks after last weekend’s snowstorm; it is something he has done for years.

Scooting along on his lawn tractor outfitted with a snowplow, Arne tackled the job with ease along Westview Drive and 10^thAvenue, eventually clearing out his daughter’s driveway as well.

Throughout the years, Arne has made sure his elderly neighbors’ paths and driveways were cleared and has never expected anything in return. Others have asked for his assistance too, which he happily obliges.

He also makes it a point to clear the sidewalks close to the bus stops and also near Tilton School if they haven’t already been cleared.

“I have the equipment for it and I don’t mind helping,” Arne said. “A few have asked for my help, and I’ll swing through their driveway, go up one side and down the other and the sidewalks along the way. If nothing else, so the kids can walk to school or to get their bus. On one corner, I know the house is empty and I’ll go down that way and knock the snow out so the kids aren’t standing on the street. At times the streets are plowed but they also build up on the sidewalks.”

He used to clear the way for his neighbors in Steward before him and his wife, Mary, moved to Rochelle.

“We would get lots of pies from the neighbors when we lived in Steward,” Mary said. “Our neighbor here in Rochelle sent us a nice handwritten note to thank him.”

“I did the same thing there in Steward, people would appreciate it,” Arne recalled. “I went down to the church … we farmed at the time. I’d bring the tractor there and make snow hills for the kids so they could sled down or make snow forts. My neighbors knew I like Pecan pie, so I’d get those.”

Arne speaks modestly about his good deeds, attesting it as the neighborly thing to do.

“It’s not a big deal for me, I’m already dressed for it,” he added. “Sometimes they’ll give me a little money to cover the cost of gas, but I don’t expect anything.”