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Wedding ring lost over 25 years ago, reunited with owner

Posted at 8:07 PM, May 21, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-21 21:34:02-04

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. -- When it comes to pizza, Fricano's in Grand Haven is one of the favorites along the lakeshore.

But it's an amazing lost and found tale that got them on FOX 17.

It's pretty common for people to lose things at restaurants and bars, and it's no different at Fricanos. That's why when the restaurant found a ring that was lost over 25 years ago, they figured they'd never find the owner.

"This biker hat has been around for a while, this is from 2011," said Linda Fricano Slater, a manager at Fricanos pizza.

From hats to wallets, to watches, Fricanos lost and found basket is a popular hotspot.

But one lost item didn't make it into that basket. Instead, it stayed tucked away with Slater, who couldn't believe what was found.

“It gave me the chills knowing he found someone’s wedding band,” she said.

 Nine months ago, while remodeling the pizzerias front door steps, Linda's husband found a ring in the debris.

It was there, where 25 years earlier, Grand Haven's Dan McWilliams dropped and lost his wedding ring.

“He said it bounced twice on two steps and went right through that crack between the building and the stairs,” Slater said.

Dan is a regular at Fricano's pizza, but uses the takeout entrance around back, until two weeks ago when he used the front entrance and realized that the old steps had been replaced with new ones.

“He knew right away that when he saw those steps, there was a chance we found his ring,” Slater said.

So he asked if a ring was found during the remodel, they had, and sure enough, it was his.

“He said yes that's mine and he slipped it on his finger and it fit just like it did 30 years ago,” Slater said.

Linda still can't believe a ring lost over a quarter century ago wound up back into the hands of an extremely familiar face.

"For this wedding band to belong to a regular who comes in on weekly basis is just phenomenal," she said.

Linda was sure she'd never find the owner, but with a little fate and luck, Dan was reunited with his very-first symbol of love.