For many people, buying a class ring as they inch towards graduation is a big deal. Not only do they get to commemorate their school, but the ring also acts as a little memorabilia even long after graduation. Due to the meaning behind a class ring, and how much it costs, this piece of jewelry is typically something that students and graduates want to keep safe.
Regardless, class rings get lost all the time. Debra McKenna was 16-years-old at the time she lost the class ring her high school boyfriend, Shawn, gave her. Understandably, she was upset, as was her boyfriend. Neither of them expected to see the ring again.
But the years went by, and Debra and Shawn wound up getting married. This time, they promised they wouldn’t lose any more important rings!
Then four decades into the couple’s marriage, Shawn lost a long battle to cancer in 2017, leaving Debra with a greater loss than the class ring she misplaced back in 1973.
However, Debra received a very surprising phone call on Valentine’s Day of 2020, which is ironically the date that her late husband first asked her out. The Morse High School alumni association informed Debra that Shawn’s lost ring had be recovered.
Apparently, someone discovered it buried about eight inches in the ground in Helsinki, Finland. Originally, the ring was lost in Maine. That’s over 3,800 miles away!
Marko Saarinen found the class ring while using a metal detector during a hike. With the school name carved into the ring, the Helsinki resident was able to get in touch with the correct school.
Debra was flabbergasted and boiling over with emotion when she learned that the class ring she lost 47 years ago had be located.
“There was a lot of weeping when I learned that someone found it and made the effort to reach out and find me,” she said. “It’s very touching in this world of negativity, to have decent people step forward and make an effort. There are good people in the world.”
The widow believes that the ring was destined to be back in her possession, perhaps a sign that her husband is still there with her.
“[Shawn] never believed in coincidences; he believed everything happens for a reason: He wants me to remember him.”
Like Shawn and Debra, I, too believe everything happens for a reason!
Watch below to hear a short interview with Debra about the wild experience.
