PEI

A ring and a prayer: Good Samaritan saves the day for Summerside couple

A Summerside husband is thanking his lucky stars and an unknown Good Samaritan for finding his wife’s diamond engagement ring — and getting him out of the “doghouse.”

Engagement ring found at Summerside KFC, turned into police

The diamond engagement ring was found in the parking lot of the KFC in Summerside. When Curtis Lynch proposed to his then-girlfriend, Sharon, in 2010, he hid it inside a teddy bear. (Sharon Lynch)

A Summerside husband is thanking his lucky stars and an unknown Good Samaritan for finding his wife's diamond engagement ring — and getting him out of the "doghouse."

Curtis Lynch said the ring had lots of sentimental as well as monetary value. It was delivered to his then-girlfriend Sharon, hidden inside a teddy bear in 2010 when she was working in Grand Prairie, Alta., and he was on P.E.I.

He then proposed to her over Skype and they got married the following year.

"She just thought she was getting a bear," Lynch said. "'She was pretty surprised and happy to see it."

Last Saturday, the ring went missing.

His wife, Sharon, a baker, took it off while she was working. Lynch had forgotten he had put the ring in his back pocket. When he pulled his keys out of the same pocket, the ring must have fallen out.

But where?

"I knew I'd be in the doghouse for a while with that one for sure," he said. "I needed to find that ring. I was doing some pretty heavy praying."

I was doing some pretty heavy praying.— Curtis Lynch

On Thursday, his prayers were answered. Someone had turned the ring into Summerside police. A police dispatcher searched Facebook for anyone posting about missing a ring, and found a post Lynch had made.

Curtis and Sharon Lynch are thankful to have the missing engagement ring returned. (Shanntel Lynch)

After police were satisfied Lynch was the owner of the ring, they handed it over. It was found in the parking lot of KFC in Summerside, where Lynch and his family had gone for supper the night it went missing.

But not before five days of Lynch retracing his steps over and over.

"There were many times I could've pulled my hand out of that pocket. I checked the grass with a metal detector for hours upon hours, looked in every nook and cranny, checked the cars … yeah, it was a big deal," he said.

'Very, very happy'

The Lynches thanked the Summerside police with goodies from Sharon's Cake Creations. They'd love to thank the Good Samaritan, as well, but they don't know the person's identity.

If he could, Lynch said this is what he would say:

"God bless you. You're an honest person, you have integrity. You could've taken that, sold it, but you chose to turn it into the police station …. Just very thankful and appreciate it very much and I know Sharon is very, very happy to get her ring back."

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