Uncategorized Category | Page 498 of 598 | The Ring Finders

Two weeks ago I got a Facebook message from my cousin Tammy M. telling me I may get a call from a guy who lost his ring. I waited a week and no call so I messaged Tammy and asked if he had found his ring yet, she said she would contact him. I got a call yesterday from Mark D. saying that he had been very busy putting in docks at his Sportsman Camping grounds on Hardy Pond. He has over 80 slips that he was putting in the day he lost his ring. He had just put down a piling when his wedding ring came off in about 4 feet of water. He had lost some weight and his wife asked him why was he wearing his ring, if he didn’t wear it now he probably would never wear it.

Marks wife was with him when the ring was lost and she said don’t worry we will get another. He didn’t want another because that ring was important to him. He looked down at where the ring went in and he could see it on the rim of the post that he had just placed in the water. “I tried to slowly bring up the post but the suction from the water and sand pulled it off the rim” Mark tried to rake around the sand to no avail.

Two weeks passed and Mark finally had the time to call me and the next day my Ring Finder partner Dave Boyer and I got on the scene. The water was shallow enough for waders and we pulled up the iron post holding up the dock after bracing it up with a car jack a few feet down fro m where we wanted to search. After running the detector around the area we got a good signal and dug several times. We finally recovered a 1977 quarter. We got another signal and after a couple scoops there was the ring.

Mark was a very happy man and said we could come to the campgrounds anytime to detect the beach and search around the docks. It was nice meeting and talking to a great entrepreneur like Mark.

Sunday, May 8th was not a good day for Lori Cox, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Life had thrown some nasty curve balls at her recently but when she lost her precious engagement ring, it was like the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Despite her best search efforts, the ring eluded discovery.

Thinking she would investigate the rental of a metal detector, an online search immediately directed her to The Ring Finders website and subsequently to my metal detecting services. Would I help? I could sense the desperation in Lori’s quivering voice on the phone.

The circumstances surrounding her loss were somewhat vague, thus I wasn’t too optimistic about locating it. But I felt compelled to give it my best try, if for no reason but Lori’s peace of mind. After all, it is times like these we humans are glad for even the small kindnesses of others.

During the drive to Fond du Lac, I mulled over a search strategy. Two large dogs (gorgeous ones I might add) in residence meant checking their bags of poop, this since canines have been known to swallow rings. And since it was not known whether the ring was lost outside in the backyard or inside the house, I determined to concentrate my 40-plus years detecting experience on the outside areas and first eliminate those. Lastly, a house search would involve a forensic-style review of the areas Lori had checked, eliminating one room at a time.

Later, while I was outside eliminating square inches of backyard, Lori was busy inside eliminating square inches of floor and furnishings—its called teamwork! I had almost completed the outside search when Lori suddenly appeared. She was holding up her ring! It was all she could do to speak she was so choked with emotion. As it turned out the ring had fallen down behind a seat cushion of a chair in the family room.

Lori, your ring doesn’t weigh much, but its discovery sure lifted a huge emotional load off your shoulders! I am so glad you found it! Thank you for allowing me to have a small part in encouraging you and giving you hope.

Jacob from Detroit lost his wedding ring while swimming off a sandbar in Pratt Lake in July of 2016.  Although he searched with a rented metal detector at the time, he did not find the ring.   When he contacted Chuck Raison, my fellow ringfinder from Baldwin, Chuck called me to help him on the hunt.

Jacob sent us a picture of the lake, marking the area where the ring was lost.  In July he had also marked the spot in the lake by placing a toy sand pail on the bottom of the lake where he lost the ring.  It was a beautiful day when we cruised out to that sandbar in Chuck’s fishing boat.  With no wind to speak of, the lake looked like a glass table top.  The water was crystal clear, and we could see the bottom of the lake and fish swimming around.  There are lots of houses on the lake shore but nobody was stirring, and the only sounds we heard were the singing of birds.

For this time of year we wore our 5mm wet suits, making for a comfortable hunt in the chilly water.  I was hunting in water about shoulder deep when I caught sight of that toy pail that Jacob had planted on the lake bottom.  Doing a careful search around that pail I found his ring not more than 10 feet from it.  Good thinking Jacob!  We called Jacob and we learned he was only about 20 miles away, attending a meeting.  We packed up our equipment and headed to his location to deliver the ring.  Pictures of his ring, Jacob and the equipment used in the recovery are attached

Wisconsin’s, Whistling Straits Golf Course on the picturesque shores of Lake Michigan, was host to the 2015 PGA Championship. But it became the unintended host to Joey Piatek’s wedding ring on April 29, 2017.

As was his habit, Joey removed his ring before playing, slipping it into a zipped pocket on his golf bag for safekeeping. He realized it was missing as he was leaving the course. Where could it have gone? Joey’s heart sank when he remembered his caddie, on two occasions, turning the bag upside down to retrieve the cover for his putter after it had fallen inside. Had the ring fallen out then?

Joey immediately returned to the course from the parking lot and searched using his iPhone flashlight in the dark. To make matters worse, it began raining. His efforts were unsuccessful. He tried looking again the next morning but again, the ring seemed to have vanished.

Joey’s bride of a year and half, Michelle, was in New York attending the wedding shower of a friend when she received the news. Being a nurse anesthetist, she immediately went into problem-solving mode—perhaps Joey could rent a metal detector. A quick search on the Internet brought up The Ring Finders directory of metal detecting specialists. It peaked her interest; she never realized such a service existed. It gave a glimmer of hope! And so Michelle encouraged Joey to contact me.

I received Joey’s email and made arrangements to conduct the search the following morning. Since Joey lived in Chicago, Illinois, I had him text me a Google earth satellite map of the golf course showing pins at the two locations where the golf bag had been turned upside down. Technology is wonderful!

Unfortunately, a thorough search of the two marked areas failed to turn up the ring–perhaps someone had already found it. My 40-plus years experience however, prompted me to widen the search area. Sure enough, on the gravel pathway leading up to the 10th Hole, I heard a familiar tone in my headset. The conductivity numbers showing on my XP Deus control screen were consistent with 14 Karat gold. It was Joey’s ring!

Barely visible with the naked eye, the love token was pretty much buried. It had been stepped on or run over by a club car but was not worse for wear considering. I took a photo to show it peaking out from among the pebbles as if embarrassed by the ordeal. Can you spot it?

Joey and Michelle drove up from Chicago a week later. It was such a joy to return the ring in person and to visit with this delightful couple. It seems they have been telling all their friends and family members about their experience with The Ring Finders and with my services here in southwest Wisconsin. Thank you both for the privilege of helping to recover your ring and for your kind reward.

Joey, may your ring’s happy-ending story continue for many, many years to come!