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Widow Gets Call That Husband’s Ring Was Found 47 Years After She Lost It
Debra McKenna was convinced she'd never see the ring again, but fate had other plans.
Laura Shallcross
03.31.21

We all know someone who has a story about how they lost their wedding ring.

You may have heard of someone who managed to misplace their ring when swimming in the ocean, washing dishes, or even working in a food factory.

But more commonly, rings are lost in public restrooms, hotels, and peoples’ own homes.

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Unsplash

Debra McKenna has a story that’s bound to shock you: she was miraculously reunited with a ring she lost 47 years ago.

Back in 1973, when Debra was just 16 years old, her high school sweetheart gifted her his white gold class ring.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

Speaking to Inside Edition about her young romance, Debra said:

“I liked him. I knew that my dad would like him, too.”

But just a month later when Debra removed the ring to wash her hands, she discovered it had vanished from sight.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

While the ring was lost, Debra’s relationship with boyfriend Shawn, who had given her the gift, blossomed.

Eventually, the pair got married and had three children together.

The happy couple lived a good life together – until tragically, Shawn, who Debra called her “whole life”, passed away of cancer in 2017.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

Debra had never expected to see Shawn’s ring again. It had been nearly half a decade, after all. Whoever had the ring would never link it back to her.

But then the impossible happened.

On Valentine’s Day, ironically, Debra’s high school alumni association called. The ring she had lost in Maine 47 years ago had turned up 3,800 miles away, in Finland of all places!

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

Debra was initially skeptical, admitting that at first she thought: “No way – how could it be in Finland?”

But when the ring was mailed to her and Debra held it in her hands, there was no denying the truth.

Debra knew that the ring had belonged to Shawn – not only because of its distinctive design, but also because it had Shawn’s initials engraved on the inside.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
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Inside Edition/ YouTube

Marco Saarinen was the person who had found Debra’s ring and sent it back to her.

After treasure hunting with a metal detector in a forest, Marco stumbled across Debra’s lost possession.

How on earth the ring made it to Finland, let alone ended up buried 8 inches beneath the ground in a forest, no one will ever know.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
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Inside Edition/ YouTube

There are so many questions to ask. Was the ring intentionally buried? Did it stay in possession of whoever stole it from Debra over all those decades? Or had it passed from owner to owner?

Thanks to his detective skills, Marco was able to figure out the ring’s origin.

As well as Shawn’s initials, the ring had his school and graduation date. Marco then found Shawn on his high school alumni association’s website and learned that he was married to Debra.

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

Debra was in complete shock that something so incredible had happened. Speaking to Marco on a video call, she recalled:

“I never thought in all of the years that I would ever see this again. When I heard that you were going to be sending it back to me, I started crying.”

Inside Edition/ YouTube
Source:
Inside Edition/ YouTube

While many parts of this story are unclear, one thing’s for certain: Marco’s clever detective work is the only reason why her husband’s ring has been safely returned to Debra after so many years.

You can learn more about this fascinating story in the video below.

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