There are so many other ways it could have happened: they could have thrown away the sticky note containing Wayne Corprew’s phone number; they could have tilled the ground three inches to the left, they could have taken the ring they found to a pawnshop.
But because they didn’t, a story comes now from Virginia about a man’s wedding ring returned after he lost it chopping a Christmas tree down 15 years ago.
This remarkable “needle in a haystack” event was made possible by a bizarre level of neighborly diligence by Darren Gilreath and his wife Samantha.
The pair purchased Joe’s Trees Christmas tree farm from Darren’s aunt in 2018, and while taking over management, kept hold of every note the establishment ever received about someone losing something on the farm.
“She kept notes of anything that was lost, and we always put them on the bulletin board for a couple of years. As the years went on, we’d gather them and put them in a stack, just hoping one day that we’d find a needle in a haystack,” said Gilreath.
This random act of dedication set the stage for a remarkable reunion 15 years in the making.
In 2010, Wayne Corprew from Roanoke arrived at Joe’s Trees to pick out a tree for himself and his family. After cutting one down he removed his gloves and realized he lost his wedding band—a beautiful piece of golden waves bound by two smaller mill-marked, ringlets.
Corprew came back the next day with a metal detector, but after searching all day, the ring was still missing. He decided, after a return trip during the summer turned up nothing, to leave a note with management.
“Lost Ring Band
2010-2013
Don’t Throw Out
Expensive”
As it happened, Sue, the previous owner, didn’t throw out the note, and when Samantha and Darren were hand-planting corn around their pumpkin patch, they found the ring just a few inches from the edge of where they were tilling.
DOING DUE DILIGENCE: Stranger’s Diligence Leads to Emotional Reunion With Lost Ring of Woman’s Mother
They got back to the shop and saw a chance to comb through their stacks of notes.
“I called my aunt and told her about finding the wedding band,” said WDBJ 7. “She was just so tickled to know that we had found the ring after 15 years because she had told us when we bought the farm that that ring had been lost 15 years ago. She said, ‘Don’t get rid of this note, because if you ever find the ring, this guy came back looking for it, and he would love to have it back.’ So we just wanted to make sure it got back into the right hands.”
MORE LOST RINGS FOUND: ‘Miracle in the Persian Gulf’– Good Samaritans Help Find Lost Wedding Ring That Man Hasn’t Taken off in 51 Years
Darren called Corprew, who didn’t suspect anything after hearing it was Joe’s Trees on the line. Then he told him about the ring and he confirmed it was there that he had lost it.
“This is a great bunch of people up here. We love coming up here and getting a tree. I’m just thankful for them that they kept that note for 15 years and that they thought to call me,” said Corprew. “It goes to show that there are good people out there, and this is a great place. If anybody needs a Christmas tree or a family outing, this is the place to come. These are great people.”
WATCH the story below from WDBJ…
SHARE This Needle In A Haystack Story With Your Friends On Social Media…