A family may place a great deal of value on an heirloom, and losing one can be extremely upsetting. Therefore, the recipient was certain that the woman was the best thing in the world when she returned a 1938 class ring. Unexpectedly finding the ring in a parking lot, Lori Rhew was determined to return it to its proper owner. According to WECT News 6, the woman who received the ring saw it as much more than just a piece of jewelry.
Rhew discovered a beautiful piece of jewelry that many seniors in high school receive when they graduate and head off to college. Rhew believed that the 1938 one she discovered might hold great significance for its owner. She was therefore resolved to locate them. As the woman recalled, “I was at Starbucks on 16th street across the street from Novant,” “I just seen something shiny in the parking lot’s corner.
“This is a beautiful ring,” I thought. It was an ancient class jewelry from Virginia Tech. “I value family treasures and I’m a sentimental person. Therefore, it didn’t feel right to sell it, give it away, or get rid of it,” Rhew said.
With the aid of the internet and a magnifying glass, the woman discovered that the ring belonged to a guy named Wallace Garst, who had passed away many years prior. Eventually, she learned that the man had a son named Larry Garst as well. “The internet will tell you just about anything.” Rhew said, “I thought this had to be who had this ring.” She was correct when she noticed that Larry Garst was wearing the ring in an obituary photo.
Woman Finds a 1938 Class Ring in a Parking Lot and Searches for Its Owner. What Happened Next Surprised Her
Source: People
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“I just could not believe it.” Rhew kept looking for someone to whom she could give the ring back, and she discovered that Larry Garst had a daughter named Laura Stoy, who was quite appreciative of having her father’s heirloom.
“I think he wore the ring because it made him carry about [a piece] of his father around with him,” Stoy commented. Telling the man’s daughter that she had discovered something that belonged to her father, Rhew phoned her. It had just been a year or so since Stoy’s father passed away.
1938 class ring found in parking lot returned to owner’s granddaughter: A North Carolina woman found a 1938 class ring in the parking lot of a Starbucks and was able to return it to the original owner’s granddaughter. https://t.co/9JH4ILv1XP
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“I was a little overwhelmed with emotion,” the daughter said. She was happy to have something that made her think of her father. “I really feel like it was serendipitous that my dad was reaching out; he knew I had been thinking about him and he was popping in to say ‘I’m here.'”
The incident caused Rhew and Stoy to bond, and they are now close friends. Rhew acknowledged, “It’s a great feeling to do the right thing.” “I think Lori represents the good in the world and there are nice people out there and that the universe has a way of trying to connect people even when they’re gone and Lori was a great connection,” Stoy stated. According to the outlet’s YouTube video, Rhew wanted to return the ring because she understood the significance of such a gesture, having lost her parents two years prior.
