Saskatchewan farmer reunited with wedding band after 45 years

Local resident found wedding ring on a rural road which was returned to its thankful owner

By Kate Ayers

Staff Reporter

A woman stumbled upon Bill Wilson’s lost wedding ring on a rural road and returned it to him – 45 years later.

Wilson lost the ring one day while driving near McCord, Sask. A grasshopper flew into his truck, so he swiftly threw it out the window. But the next time he looked down, his wedding ring was gone, according to a CBC article today.

Admittedly, Wilson didn’t always wear his ring. Now 80, he used to farm about 100 kilometres northeast of the Monche crossing at the American border. Before starting his farm work, Wilson often removed his ring, as it was a safety hazard.   

Nevertheless, Wilson searched relentlessly for the ring after its disappearance, and even used a metal detector to try and find it.

“We looked off and on for years. Every time I drove by there, I drove with my head out the window,” Wilson said to CBC.

A local woman found the ring near an old school house. She contacted her grandmother for advice on how to find the owner.

The woman’s grandmother believed the pursuit of the owner would be fruitless. That school closed 50 years ago, so her grandmother thought the owner of the ring would have passed away by now. 

Coincidentally, Wilson met “Grandma” for coffee shortly after the ring’s recovery. Much to his surprise, she mentioned a lost ring and inquired about potential leads to its owner. 

“I told her, yes, I did (know). I told her it was me and I told her what was engraved inside it,” he recalled. The woman was astonished, not expecting to find the ring’s owner after asking only two people, according to CBC.

Wilson has been married for 51 years. He has lacked a wedding ring for most of these years, as he did not buy another ring to fill-in for the lost one. Wilson was “awed” by getting his ring back.

“It’s a little worse for the wear,” he said.

He’s wearing the elusive wedding ring once again.