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Johnson Creek, Wisconsin residents, Lyle (Spike) and Bonnie Klockow, celebrated their 69th anniversary with their family on Monday, June 23rd. Returning from a boating excursion on Rock Lake the following morning, Lyle wrung rainwater out of some rags over the side of the boat. That’s when his precious wedding ring slipped off his hand and disappeared in the dark water. Recent weight loss caused Lyle’s ring to fit more loosely than normal. On his hand for nearly seven decades, the ring was now gone. The loss left Lyle feeling horribly disappointed. For sixty-nine years, the ring had served as tangible evidence of his marriage to Bonnie. The memories were innumerable.
I received a phone call from Terrie, Lyle’s daughter and made arrangements to meet up with the family at her aunt’s lakeside home. Monte, Terrie’s brother, led the way to the boat dock. Lyle arrived soon afterward and confirmed the approximate location where the ring had come off his hand.

The presence of metallic objects in the silt set my detector off with a staccato of signals. Armed with a description of the ring I was able to ignore many of these objects and hone in on those with promising conductivity numbers, those consistent with gold. An ancient brass shotgun shell was excavated, evidence of bygone duck-hunting escapades. Then, not far from where Lyle believed the ring left his hand, a solid ‘70’ on my controller indicated the presence of a target consistent with a white-gold ring. Sorting through the mud, stones and sticks in my scoop, Lyle’s ring appeared at last!

Bonnie, who was sitting with the rest of the family on their back deck, was curious about all the activity down by the dock. Who was the strange man and what was he doing wading in the water? Lyle had not told her about his missing wedding ring. He didn’t want to upset her. This made the reveal all the more fun. And the beautiful smiles on the couple’s faces tell the rest of the story.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring or precious jewelry item, don’t let its story end. With over forty years of metal-detecting experience, chances are we can add your smile to the growing list of happy clients. Long lost or recent, on land or in water, call today!