Lost Wedding-Ring Found! – Kenosha, WI

Kenosha, WI boasts several gorgeous parks along the shores of Lake Michigan. On Sunday, June 28, 2020, Darren and his wife, Jennifer drove up from West Chicago for a relaxing get-away at Pennoyer Park. But a picture-perfect day turned to despair when on their drive home, Jennifer realized her diamond-wedding ring was missing. I received a desperate email the next morning requesting my assistance. Her son found me on The Ring Finder’s online directory.

It was an hour’s drive for each way for both of us and so we arranged to meet on location that afternoon. Upon arrival, I disappointed to discover my otherwise trusty metal detector was not functioning. I always pack an extra machine for just such a possibility, but somehow failed to load it before I left. Despite my best efforts to remedy the problem on site, it became necessary to drive an hour back home to Waukesha to fetch another detector.

Meanwhile, an intense electrical storm developed. Torrents of rain made driving a challenge. The beautiful beach where, just hours before, people sunbathed and picnicked had become a desolate, dark and foreboding place, rumbling with thunder and flashes of lightning. A flock of seagulls took cover on the shore while we waited in our vehicles. Finally, with no break in sight, the Darren and Jennifer decided to return home. We agreed to stay in touch, but as they drove away in the rain, I could sense the disappointment and hopelessness in Jenifer’s voice.

While the rain continued, the lightning eventually subsided enough that it was safe to venture out. My equipment is rated for SCUBA diving so the wind and driving rain were not a problem. After an about an hour, I had barely covered the first search area and was about to move to the next location when I picked up a strong but deep signal in the coarse sand. My first thought was that the target was much too deep for so recent a loss. But just to make sure, I excavated the target and dumped the contents out across the sand. As I did, my eye caught the unmistakable glint of diamonds and platinum! It was on a slope and someone had inadvertently pushed the loose sand over the ring, burying it deeply with their foot.

I texted a photo of the ring to Jennifer with the caption, “A little damp, but none the worse for its lost-and-found experience!” Darren and Jennifer hopped in the car right away and made the hour’s drive back to Kenosha. What a delight it was to hand the beautiful ring back to its grateful owner. Appropriately, I thought, Jennifer wore a tee-shirt with the word, BLESSED, on it. You know, I think prayers were answered that night!

This ring search seemed to conspire against us at every turn – equipment problems, rain, lightening, darkness, wind and challenging driving conditions, all threatened failure. But in the end, perseverance and prayers triumphed. I too feel blessed. As for Jenifer, her smile tells the rest of the story.