Family and friends have intensified a search for a missing 67-year-old Pacific Palisades man, hoping they'll be able to see him at home by Christmas.

Ronald B.D. Lee walked away from his home Dec. 5 and hasn't returned. Although he's been spotted in several locations around the island, his family fears that he may be depressed or disoriented, making him unable to find his way home.

"I'm going to keep going out and looking for him every day, even if it's Christmas," Linda Lee, his wife of 35 years, said yesterday.

Lee, a retired postal worker, left his home without his wallet, cash, credit cards or other identification sometime on the afternoon of Dec. 5. His wife thought he was going for a walk after a disagreement they had, but hasn't seen him since.

Police, who issued a missing-person alert for Lee on Monday, said he has no history of staying away from home and does not suffer from Alzheimer's disease. He does, however, have a hearing problem that may contribute to his not knowing that people are looking for him, his wife said.

One of Lee's nieces saw him Dec. 12 in a Pearlridge Center store, but she didn't realize at the time that people were looking for him, Linda Lee said. The niece later said he appeared to be unshaven and a little dazed. A former co-worker also reported seeing him last week near the Hawai'i State Library in Downtown Honolulu.

"It's not like him to just hang around. He's probably confused," said Lee's nephew, Randall Morita, who has been helping to distribute thousands of fliers, hoping that someone will recognize Lee on the streets. "We just want people to be aware and on the lookout with their eyes."

Lee is described as 5 feet 2 and 155 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He was last seen wearing Navy blue walking shorts, white tennis shoes and a blue pullover golf shirt.

Anyone who thinks they have seen Lee recently is asked to notify the police.

"I just want him to come home again," Linda Lee said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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