Uncategorized Category | Page 214 of 607 | The Ring Finders

The voice on the phone was like déjà vu—history repeating itself. “This is John Clark from Beloit, Wisconsin. I lost my wedding ring… again.”

Almost four years ago, in October 2019, John lost his ring while raking leaves in the foliage behind his estate home. I searched for and eventually found his lost ring. In fun, my parting words to John were, “I hope I never see you again!” But now John needed my help, again. It was my very first time searching for the same ring twice. The circumstances too were almost identical. The ring was fitting more loosely of late and had, unbeknown to John, slipped off his finger as he worked.

The heavy custom-made 22karat gold wedding ring was one of a matched pair that John and his lovely wife, Kay, wore. To John’s dismay he realized his ring was missing after cleaning up leaves from his backyard swimming pool. He searched and searched in the areas where he had thrown the leaves over an embankment, but the ring was nowhere to be found. John could hardly believe it had happened again. The consternation in his voice was evident.

When I arrived, my business card from four years ago was laying on the kitchen table. We first drank coffee together, exchanged family news and then rehearsed the day’s events when the ring went missing. I followed John outside retracing his steps on the day of the loss. Armed with a forensic mind map, I retrieved my trusty XP Deus ii metal detector from the car and donned a set of wireless headphones. Beginning at one end of the garden, I probed the thick Hosta plants and piles of leaves above and below a rock wall not 20 yards from where the ring was lost back in 2019. The image of John’s ring replayed like a video in my mind’s screen.

A plethora of metallic objects announced their presence in my headset, bits of foil, aluminum, wire, etc., but none that matched the tone and conductivity numbers belonging to a heavy gold ring. I had nearly finished scanning the last patch of Hosta plants when John’s ring suddenly announced its hiding place… again! After nearly four years, I presented John with his precious ring for the second time! He was almost speechless. All John could manage to say was, “I’m shocked!”

Happy photos, smiles, hugs and more coffee ensued while we savored yet another successful ring search, one that will go down in my books as, The Déjà Vu Ring!

As I left the pleasant company of this dear couple, I couldn’t help but repeat my usual parting words to John, “I hope I never see you again!” Only this time I added, “But keep my card just in case.”

A fun outing with friends on Saturday, July 22nd on Big Cedar Lake near Slinger, Wisconsin, turned to heartache for Miranda Schroeder when she suddenly realized her wedding ring was missing. But it wasn’t just any wedding ring. It had been passed down from her grandmother. Now, the heirloom gold and diamond ring lay somewhere on the bottom of Wisconsin’s 937-acre tourist hotspot.

I received a call from Miranda asking if I might help. The anguish in her voice betrayed the ring’s huge sentimental value. Obviously, it was more than a ring. Arrangements were made to meet Jeff Rollins, Miranda’s father, at the public boat launch Monday afternoon. Apart from the sadness of our mission, it was a glorious summer day. Jeff also happened to be the local Police Chief. His knowledge of the lake coupled with his forensic intuitiveness would prove helpful in the search.

On arrival, I couldn’t help but notice the name of the road leading to the boat launch, Gonring Road. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, I thought, if we could rename it, Foundring Road!

We spent nearly four hours searching that afternoon and into the evening but could not locate the precious love token. After examining photos and speaking further with Miranda, we decided to return the next afternoon and expand the search area.

A large pontoon boat was anchored in the vicinity when Jeff and I arrived. A group of ladies were huddled nearby, waist-deep in the water. Their outing, similar to Miranda’s, had likewise turned to sadness when one of the ladies lost her wedding ring. When the group spotted me with my metal detector it was as though their prayers were answered. Jeff and I took time out to assist and a few minutes later, the missing wedding ring lay in my scoop! I bunched together with the happy group for a photo, then Jeff and I quickly resumed our search for Miranda’s ring. The unexpected recovery boosted our hopes that we would likewise find Miranda’s precious heirloom.

Nearly two hours passed as I systematically scoured the lake bottom with my XP Deus ii detector. The sun was beginning to set. But then, as if by magic, Miranda’s cherished wedding ring lay glistening in my scoop! I breathed a silent prayer, “Thank you, God!”

At the same time, Jeff happened to be making his way over to me to show off a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses he had found. He spotted a flash of gold in the water and dove down to retrieve it, hoping it was Miranda’s ring. What a joy it was to flash the actual gold we had been searching for, complete with all its diamonds! The smile on Jeff’s face once again reinforced the truth, “It’s more than a ring!”

What a great day! It was not only an amazing day for Jeff and for Miranda, but also for another unknown soul whose agony was turned to relief and joy! I don’t even know her name. As for me, finding and returning two rings on the same day warrants a name change, don’t you think? “Foundring Road” does have a nice ‘ring’ to it!