KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Joleen Ryder loves to fish. However, her husband Josh loved it more. They went fishing together all the time when he was alive, she said.
Josh passed away unexpectedly in June from a blood clot and stroke at 33 years old. A few weeks ago, a friend had a custom-built fishing pole made in his honor.
“It says ‘In Loving Memory of Josh Ryder,’” said Ryder about the inscription. “It’s irreplaceable. If I get it back that’d be awesome.”
Tuesday night, around 11 p.m., Ryder says someone stole the pole out of the back of her pick-up truck. Ryder, 32, had just returned home from a fishing trip with a friend, and let the dogs out in the yard, when she heard a rustling sound nearby. The dogs began barking and she saw someone near her vehicle.
“He was a white male, early 20s maybe,” said Ryder. “A lot of people around the park actually saw him running with the poles.”
Her neighbors didn't stop him, she said, because they didn’t know what was going on. Ryder immediately went back into her home and dialed 911. Later that night, she gave the police a statement and posted pictures of it on online.
“There’s multiple shares on Facebook,” said Ryder. “Anybody that knows him, knows he’s a big fisherman, knows how much the poles mean to me.”
Ryder said the last few days without the pole have been hard. She and Josh's best friend went fishing with it two or three times a week. Whenever she looked at it or even touched it, it reminded her of Josh.
“He’s the most lovable, protective, outgoing, would do anything for anybody, give the shirt off his back if he had to,” said Ryder fighting back tears. “He was the best husband ever and today would’ve been our 4 year wedding anniversary.”
Her pole, and two others, were stolen, she said. Josh’s meant everything to her. It was white, light blue and orange; his favorite colors. She planned to mount it on a wall one day. She’s devastated it's gone and has a message for the man who took it.
“Get a job,” said Ryder. “Buy your own stuff. You don’t know whats important to most people and this is very important to us. So if anybody has any tips that can get it back to us safely, I'd appreciate it.”
