Wedding ring lost in Tennessee yard found 55 years later
Wedding ring lost in Tennessee yard found 55 years later
(Web Desk) - A man who lost his wedding ring in his parents’ Tennessee back yard was reunited with the precious item nearly 55 years later when it was found by the home’s current owner.
Ransom Jones said he cleaning up after a woodworking project at his parents’ Murfreesboro home more than five decades ago when the wedding ring that had been on his finger for only a short time flew off.
"As I threw a bunch of shavings out the door into a little garden patch, the ring went with the shavings," told Jones.
Jones said he and his family searched for the ring for years, and he and his wife, Wren Jones, often sent their kids into the yard to hunt for it.
"When the kids came along, they grew up looking for my ring. My son, who is now 51, thought it was all a spoof to keep them busy," Jones said.
Jones sold the house to Doug and Samantha Cook in 2006. During his final walk-through with Doug Cook, he told the man about the lost ring.
"It’s always been in the back of my mind," Cook said.
Cook said he took up treasure hunting with a metal detector when the COVID-19 pandemic left him with an abundance of spare time.
Cook said he was scanning his yard in late April when he got a "faint hit" on the metal detector and found a ring bearing the initials "W.R.J." and the date Jan. 21, 1966, under about 4 inches of dirt.
Cook said the ring was about 100 feet away from where Jones had estimated it ended up.
He contacted the lawyer who had handled the sale of the home, and the lawyer reached out to Jones, who visited the house later that same afternoon to retrieve his long-lost ring.
"It was quite an emotional event to recover this ring. After all these years the ring back on my finger as of right now," Jones said. "I’m not a weepy kind of guy but I did over that. It’s been one of the most joyful experiences I’ve ever had."
Jones’ family members were equally surprised to hear the ring had been found after more than five decades.
"This story is amazing. ... I don’t believe dad ever thought that they would see the ring again," Jones’ son, Jennings, wrote on Facebook.
