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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 21, 2016 LOST RING FINDS ITS WAY HOME The perseverance of a stranger brings a wedding band back to its owner two years later By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Call it an early Christmas miracle. In November 2014, David Bailey was elk hunting in the Blue Mountains be- tween Heppner and Ukiah. The weather was cold, and the snow more than half a foot deep. He climbed back in his truck, parked in a lot off Highway 53, and started to take off his gear. “I suddenly noticed that my wedding ring was gone,” he said. “I got to thinking about all the places I stopped along the way and took off my gloves.” David searched part of the approximately four miles he trekked, but to no avail. The snow was too deep. Defeated, he went back to his truck. “I got a little emotional,” he recalled. “That ring had been on my finger for 42 years.” David drove to a spot he knew there was cell service and called his wife, Vicki, to tell her what happened. “She was kind of disap- pointed,” he said. He mentally retraced his steps with the intention of going back in the spring with a metal detector to find his ring. That didn’t happen. “He’d been pretty upset JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Vicki and David show off their wedding bands. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer A man and his son found David’s lost wedding ring while stopping for a meal during the spring of 2015. The man put up signs in plastic bags. about it,” Vicki Bailey said of her husband. He inquired about replac- ing the gold band and repli- cating the inscription. In 1972, the ring and inscrip- tion cost $69.95. Replacing it would have cost $953. David decided to hold off on buying a new ring. “That’s a good chunk of change,” he explained. — In the spring of 2015, a man and his son were out in the Blue Mountain wilderness target shooting. The pair stopped to eat in a parking area off Highway 53 and during the meal, something shiny caught the son’s eye. He went to inves- tigate and found a gold ring with the inscription, “VM 9/16/72 DB” on it. Correctly believing it to be a wedding ring, he was filled with a sense of urgency to return the ring to its owner. The father-and-son team made two signs, put them in plastic bags and posted them at the parking lot. Then they tried to use the date on the ring to find a marriage license matching the initials. Searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack, they came up empty. Until the fall of 2015. That’s when David and Vicki’s friend, Les Larson, who lives in Heppner, was in the same area scouting hunting locations. He saw the sign in the tree, but was too far away to read it. Not wanting to get out in a downpour, he drove closer and took out his binoculars to read “Found — Man’s wedding band.” The sign had a number to call. Les, who was part of David and Vicki’s wedding party, called them with the number. David called, and of course, there was no an- swer. He left a message de- scribing the ring. Not 30 seconds later his phone rang. The voice on the other line said: “You nailed it. That’s the ring I have.” “It was kind of amazing,” David said. “How often does that happen?” David arranged for his friends to pick up the ring from the man, who request- ed anonymity. “He didn’t feel like it was anything special,” David said. David has a different opinion, noting that the man would check regularly for months to see if the signs he put up remained, in hopes that the person who lost the ring would re- turn and see them. See RING, Page 3A The Road to Bethlehem DECEMBER 24 6:00 PM CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE (Childcare Not Provided) DECEMBER 25 10:00 AM CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP SERVICE (Nursery Care Provided) SALT CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH | 15075 SALT CREEK ROAD PH: 503.623.2976 | www.saltcreekchurch.org Christmas Eve Add meaning to your Christmas season by celebrating the birth of Jesus in worship. 7 p.m. Candlelight Service 10 p.m. Candlelight Service with Communion Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 5:00 pm • December 24 Please note the time change is earlier than last year. A traditional service of carols, special music and candle light for the whole family! 565 SE LaCreole Drive • 503-623-2481 dallasumc@questoffice.net • www.umcdallas.com Sunday Christmas Day 10 a.m. Worship Service Coffee & Cookies after each service All are welcome. Come as you are. Trinity Lutheran Church St.Thomas Episcopal Church Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 5:00 pm Eucharist Celebration Christmas Day 10:00 am 320 SE Fir Villa Rd, Dallas (across from the drive-in movie theater) 503-623-2233 www.dallastlc.org 1486 SW Levens, Dallas 503-623-8522 • www.stthomasdallas.org
