Gregg Larabel, Author at The Ring Finders

Kyle T. called me today form his hotel across from First Street Beach in Manistee, MI. They are visiting from Dallas, Texas for a wedding. While playing tether ball with her children, his wife lost her wedding ring.  When Kyle was a young airman in the Air Force and not having a lot of money, him and his then girlfriend went shopping for a wedding ring. They bought this little silver ring that brought memories and three beautiful children later through the years. Kyle’s wife was not available for pictures because she was out doing her daily running workout. I’m sure after his call to her, her pace picked up to return to the beach.

Got a call from Steve last week letting me know his uncle Jeff lost his wedding ring while playing catch with a football, on the beach, in Onekama, MI. I came out to check the area and see if the water is calm enough to search. The lake was rough that day so I came back the next day when it calmed down and began my grid search on the beach and in the water. After a couple hours i did not find it. Later that evening another search was made and found the ring had been buried in deep send close to the shore. A happy man after years of being on his finger and recently loosing his wife. Jeff my best wishes to you.

I received a call from Michelle S. on Labor Day concerning the loss of her wedding rings while floating on a rubber raft and spending the holiday at her mom’s cottage. She was paddling on the raft when she noticed her rings were gone. She knew where she was in a triangular area in front of the dive platform.  She told her husband, Joel, that her rings are gone.  She researched lost rings on the internet and The ring finders website  came  up.  After  searching  the  map  she  called  me.  I made  the  arrangements  to  meet  her  today  (Saturday)  with  my  diver.  After  introductions  with, Joel and Mary her mom,  my  diver  began  the  search  in  about  5 feet  of  water with weeds  and mud.  In  about  20  minutes  he  recovered  the  rings.  Joel  called  Michelle  and  face timed  her.  She  was  ecstatic  about  the  recovery.  Another  happy  couple  and  I’m happy at 81 years  old I can still  make  the  ladies  cry.

Got a call from Melissa H. yesterday, (Jan 22, 26), she lost her key fob to her car, in the snow. Melissa lost her husband 6 months ago and is now on her own and is still getting her bearings on this new life style. Yesterday while walking out to her car with her purse in one hand and packages in the other it dropped out of her hand. She didn’t miss it until she got to the car. After a heavy snowfall on top of the snow that was already there she searched and couldn’t find it. She went back to her porch and shoveled the snow to the edge and it wasn’t there. She continued to shovel around the foot of the porch and around the car with no luck.

When I got to her home the next day I was concerned that so much snow had been moved around. I got my detector and searched the porch, steps, area around the car and snow piles in the area with no results. I then searched the snow that she shoveled off the porch and found it several inches under the shoveled snow. Prior to loosing the key fob she had fallen and the loss of her key fob added to her misery that day. She is mobile again and only wanted to return a book to the Library but her snowplow driver encouraged her not to venture out for the next few days in the sub-zero weather. She is happy now with her recovered key fob and can stay warm in her house finishing a complicated puzzle.

While working at the local casino Richard R. was clearing tables in the buffet restaurant. He came in to the Dish room where I work and emptied his cart full of dishes, glasses and table scraps. Before leaving our area he noticed his security badge missing. It clips on his collar and must have slipped off in the container holding table scraps while clearing tables. I told him I would search for it while he went back to the dining room clearing tables.

There are 2 50 gallon containers holding the table scraps, one was empty and the other one was almost full where he deposited his container. I proceeded to take handfuls of table scraps including crab claws and shells and emptying two handfuls at a time from one container to another while searching for his badge. This wasn’t my first rodeo with this type of search, I looked successfully for a mans retainer in his trash that he lost while in a nursing home (that time I was able to use my pin pointer). For Richards badge I got half way down the container and found his badge. After washing the badge off, Richard came back in to the dish room with another cart of plates and I gave him his access badge after getting a big thank you and a smile.

Jeff T. has been camping with a group of friends for over 16 years at Lake Township Campgrounds. The area is a mecca for canoes, tubes and kayaks. While Jeff and his group were floating down the Platte River he had lost his balance and his Android cell phone fell into the slow current river. A friend in the group had the wherewithal to mark the spot. Several members jumped in the water to see if they could find it at no avail.

Jeff found out about The Ringfinders network and gave me a call. Fortunately I was available to meet him at the river 2 hours later. After a .2 mile walk along the riverbank we reached the spot where he dropped the phone. after doing a grid search about a 10′ by 10′ area we were about to give up and closer to the shore I got an overload signal on my detector. I scooped down a load of gravel and a corner of the phone was showing and Jeff reached out and said this is it. Jeff and I discovered we both had a similar sad family setback which created a bond more than just finding his phone. We hugged, he gave thanks and we walked back to our cars.

Jeff T, has been camping at Lake Township Campgrounds for over 16 years with a group of relatives and friends. This area is a mecca for canoes, tubes and kayaks and is one of the most beautiful National Parks with the Platte river leading into Lake Michigan and surrounded by mountain’s of sand dunes. The group was floating down the river when Jeff lost his balance and dropped his Android cell phone in about 4 feet of water. Several members of the group jumped in the water to help find the phone to no avail.

After hearing about the Ringfinders, Jeff called me and 2 hours later Jeff and I were walking .2 miles along the riverbank. We reached the spot and I did a grid search of 10 feet by 10 feet in water about 4 to 5 feet deep. The river was slowly meandering with a slow current. We were almost ready to give up when I got an overload on my detector and dug up a scoop of sand, silt and gravel and a corner of the cell appeared. Jeff took out the cell and said this is it. After some hugs and thank yous we headed back to our cars.

We went back to the canoe livery and had a bite to eat. While eating we discovered we both had a similar family tragedy that made this hunt more memorable.

By the way, Jeff will let me know if the cell data was able to be recovered.

I was contacted Sunday evening, July 20, by Sonny B. about a lost wedding ring. “my grandparents were married on May 31st, 1943. My grandfather passed away in January of 2011 and my grandmother in November of 2016. She gave my grandfathers ring to me in 2016 for my wedding on June 11th, 2016. Another cool fact is today, the day we found the ring, is my Grandmothers Birthday. You can’t make that up. Thank you so much!”

Sonny was on a boat and when he got off going to shore he caught a football from a friend in about ankle deep water. Just as he caught the ball he felt his wedding ring fall off. The ring was immediately swallowed up by the waves and fresh beach sand. As an IT tech he had the smarts to search the internet and coming across the Ringfinders.com. he gave me a call. After his call we agreed to meet at his family’s cottage on Portage Lake in Onekama MI. The following morning we parked our cars and took a long walk on the Pier leading out to Lake Michigan and another long walk to a friends private beach. Once in the water I was directed to an approximate area where the ring fell off his finger. I started my search about 10 feet to the left of where Sonny was standing and detected the water line. When I got in front of him in ankle deep water I got a good gold hit on my CZ21, got a scoop full of sand and as it filtered through scoop the ring appeared. Sonny lifted it out of the scoop in amazement and couldn’t stop thanking me as he talked about how much the ring meant to him and his wife. After some pictures were taken and more thank you’s, we walked back to our cars and said our good byes. This helping people in their dark hours never gets old.

 

Lightening strikes twice in one week. First a class ring, second a wedding ring at the same beach in Onekama, Michigan. I saw a posting on  Facebook by Eric B. who was playing volleyball in 3 to 4 feet of water in Lake Michigan. I contacted Eric and told him I could meet him out at the beach that evening. I got there before Eric but he gave me the information and location on an earlier message. I gathered my equipment and got started. After setting up a grid, on the second pass I found his yellow gold wedding ring. I walked up to the parking area and put away my equipment and Eric drove up. I showed Eric the ring and after he  described the writing inside, I handed the ring to him. He was surprised and happy I found it so quick. He was up here vacationing with his family and this made the rest of the time here a happy time. I love doing this job and putting smiles on faces.

I got a referral from Dave Boyer, a Ringfinder, a couple days ago and contacted Evan B. about his lost Citadel class ring in Lake Michigan. I drove from Manistee to Onekema about a 20 minute drive and met Evan. He was throwing a ball to his dog out into the lake. The ball and the ring , which was very heavy, flew into the water. The dog got the ball and the lake got the ring. The waves were pretty big that day but I tried to grid an area without success so I told Evan I would be back in the morning to try again. Friday morning the waves weren’t as bad but the water turned over in the lake and was so cold I told him I would be back in the evening with my wet suit. I called a friend to come out and help me as it would cut the area to search in half.

The water was calmer and I began my search in the area where it was lost. Going out about 60′ with a grid about 20′ x 20′ no luck. After about 30 minutes the ring turned up in the scoop closer to the shore than Evan figured it went. The toss of his hand must have been in more of a downward motion.  Vacation in Onekama, Michigan and Lake Michigan you will love it visit “Pure Michigan”.