The Ring Finders of Maine, With Recovery and Return #213
At 9:45am Thursday, May 21st, I received a call from AJ. His wife, Michelle, had taken their young children to to Woods Pond Beach, in Bridgton, Maine, the previous day, as it was a very hot day. The water was very cold but Michelle waded into the pond with one of her young children, to a depth of waist deep. While wading in the waist deep water, her young child accidently grabbed ahold of her necklace. The necklace broke and the pendant that had been on the necklace was gone, into the pond. The necklace itself was grabbed before it hit the water but the pendant was nowhere to be found. Michelle visually searched, looking for the shiny sterling silver pendant, but couldn’t find it. AJ explained that this wasn’t just any pendant because the pendant contained some of her late brothers ashes and Michelle was very upset that the pendant urn, in the shape of a 4 leaf clover, was now missing. WOW!!! I knew right then that I needed to help and told AJ, I could probably be there, in the early afternoon and I would call him when I was on my way and he could meet me there, to pinpoint the location that Michelle had been in. AJ had a fairly precise location, as to where Michelle had been, when the pendant disappered into the cold water.
Once off the phone with AJ, I called Gary Hill to see if he was avaible to assist me. I knew the pond water would be very cold (50-55 degrees) and the air temperture was only in the high 50’s. This would be a cold search but we couldn’t wait for warmer weather, with her brothers ashes missing. Gary was available and I told him to bring a change of warm clothes, beach towel and his Excalibur diving metal detector,as we were about to get wet. I told Gary I would pick him up, on the way to Bridgton, at approximately 11:30am. It would take us an hour and 15 minutes to get there so I called AJ and let him know Gary and I would there just before 1:00pm. As Gary and I were driving, we thought that Gary would go in and search the specific area that Michelle had been in. This would give Gary his first water recovery and had nothing to do with me not wanting to go into the cold, cold water. I told Gary that if the pendant wasn’t found in 10 minutes or so, I would jump in and start expanding the search area, so he wouldn’t freeze to death. Experience has shown us that lost jewelry is usually never exactly where people think it is and I did want Gary to have all the fun. The pendant could have launched itself once the necklace had been grabbed. The location could be off by 10 feet or so.
Once we arrived, we were promptly met by AJ. He pointed out the area Michelle had been in. She had been in an area maybe 20-30 feet , east from a dock. The dock has metal pipes and some stairs. Michelle had been just the stairs and was between the next two pipes, but not out as far as the third pipe, near the end of the dock. Gary bravely entered the very cold water, as I shivered on shore with AJ. Gary was performing a North – South grid search from about 30 feet from the dock and making his way, towards the dock. It really wasn’t a large area but it was a very clean area. Gary wasn’t getting any targets and this allowed him to quickly cover the area. After 10 minutes, as Gary was approaching the dock, I told AJ, I would go in and eapand the search. I would start about 20 feet to the east, from where Gary started and would work my way towards the dock. Once this area was covered, we would continue the same grid pattern but would stark working our way towards the shore. As I was walking out to where I would start searching, I also was receiving no targets, at all. Once I arrived to where I wanted to be, I started my search and again, no targets on my first pass. Gary still had no targets either. Another pass and still the same. I started my third pass and finally received my first target. After sizing up and pinpointing the location, Pressed the long handled sand scoop into the sand, with my foot. I pulled the scoop out of the water and shook it, to get the sand out, leaving only rocks and hopefully a nice shiny pendant. As I looked into the scoop, I did see the rocks and a shiny 4 leaf clover pendant, containing the ashes of Michelle’s brother. I yelled over to Gary and told him that I had it then yelled to AJ, further away, on the shore. AJ replied to me but I couldn’t hear him. Gary’s chattering teeth were to loud. We quickly made our way to shore where a very happy AJ awaited us. He was so thankful and told us that Michelle would be very relieved her brother would be back with her.
Gary and I dried ourselves with our towels, got into some dry clothes and put the heat up high, on the ride home. We were both so happy to have been able to help Michelle and AJ.. Jewely may be replaced but you cannot replace a loved ones ashes. It is recoveries like this that keeps Gary and I going. There is no better feeling than to know you helped someone with such a sentimental item. Once home I received the following message from AJ..
“Thank you again my wife and I truly appreciate you guys coming out and finding it for us” She cried when I told her thats how happy she was. Thank you for finding it for us! It truly meant alot to my wife and im glad you guys where able to help us out truly as she was devastated when she lost it…”
A beautiful conclusion to a troubling and devistating time for Michelle. I later received a photo of Michelle, reunited with her pendant. Her smile says it all. So, NOT just another pendant back around the neck but an irreplacable pendant back around the neck. I would loved to have been able to hand the pendant to Michelle but things wcould have ended any better. We love our jobs. We have the best jobs in the world. Remember, “If It Matters To You, It Matters To Us”❤️🙏
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