Ontario family finds owner of lost ring found on P.E.I.
'There are still good people in this world'
After wading through about 90 responses, an Ontario family has been able to find the owner of a lost ring found on P.E.I.
Rania Walker took to social media last week to find the owner of a ring her family had found on Brackley Beach.
The owner of the ring is Jeff Potts, 48, who lives in Dunrobin, Ont., just outside Ottawa. He lost it a couple of weeks ago when he and his partner Paul Kenney were in P.E.I.
But Potts wasn't the only one to get in touch with Walker. Many people sent pictures of similar looking rings to Walker.
"20 of them were spot on," she said.
"A lot of people had a lot of really sad stories for why they lost the ring. A couple funny stories where they had thrown the ring into the ocean after a divorce or separation and they were thinking the ring was coming back to haunt them."
'I really think she's a rock star'
Potts and Walker were able to meet up in person to exchange the ring.
My father's spirit was intervening because who'd thought that anybody would find a tiny little wedding band.- Jeff Potts
"I really think she's a rock star … There are still good people in this world," said Potts.
The ring belonged to Potts' late father. It was a present from Potts' mother to his father in 1966 when the couple married. The two had been separated for almost four decades, but Potts's aunt had found the wedding band in his late father's things and gave it to him about a month ago.
'Grateful forever'
He said it was "truly devastating" when he realized the ring was no longer on his finger. "It belonged to my father and it was special," he said.
Potts saw the CBC story on Facebook when a friend forwarded it to him.
"To see it on the picture was overwhelming," he said.
"Everybody I talked to after I lost it said that my father's spirit was intervening because who'd thought that anybody would find a tiny little wedding band in the sand on a beach," he said.
"It's a true indication of the universe taking care of itself and really people coming together in the best way possible … I will be grateful forever."
Stumped by inscription
Walker, who found the ring, was trying to confirm the owner by seeing who knew the inscription.
At first, Potts couldn't remember what the inscription was — but his mother, who is almost 70 years old, knew right away. It said 'Holland' which stands for "hope our love lasts and never dies."
Pay it forward
"It sort of brought it back, back to the family and back full circle … It made me feel like my mom and dad were always together and this ring is now part of me," said Potts.
Potts has now put the ring on a chain around his neck that he says he never takes off.
Walker said she is grateful people shared the story on social media.
"It wasn't really much for me to post on social media and ask people to spread the word and really everybody else did the work for me once I put it up there," she said.
She hopes other people might do the same thing if they find something lost and suggests people should inscribe beloved items in case they get lost.
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